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A Glimpse of India 



; 







r 53% *» 



C. A. Swain, M. D. } 

1869. 




Miss I. T hob urn. 



A Glimpse of India 



Being a collection of Ex- 
tracts from the Letters of 



DR. CLARA A. SWAIN 

First Medical Missionary to India of the 
Woman's Foreign Missionary Society of the 
Methodist Episcopal Church in America 




NEW TORK 

JAMES POTT & COMPANY 

MCMIX 



-*& 



r 



Copyright, 1909, by 
JAMES POTT & COMPANY 



LIBRARY of CONGRESS 

Two Co^ie.i "iffi&nved 

i* Cop* rttf.it £«trv 

"Class A am =s P 



Foreword 



IT was with extreme reluctance that the writer of 
these letters was persuaded to allow them to be 
made public. 

Her family and personal friends have carefully pre- 
served them with the thought there might, at some time, 
be a call for their publication, and the author has yielded 
to the entreaties of her friends to let the general public 
have a share in the pleasure of those who have so de- 
lightedly enjoyed them in private circles. 

A favorable opportunity has occurred for them to be 
reread, extracts made from the originals and arranged 
for publication. 

It will readily be noticed that Dr. Swain was de- 
voted to her work, not only as a profession, but as a 
means of carrying the Light and Life of the Gospel into 
the darkened homes of those to whom she ministered. 

The contrast between the first and second part of her 
book is marked. In the one she found a people ready to 
accept physical aid and not wholly unacquainted with the 
customs of foreigners and the religious ideas of the mis- 
sionaries already among them. In the other she was 
among a people who, with regard to Christianity, were 
as barren in mind as are the waste deserts of their na- 
tive province. 

[v] 



Foreword 

It required courage to enter upon work of any kind 
amid such uncongenial surroundings and unsympathetic 
people but the need was great and there were strong in- 
dications that the Master had work for her to do among 
them. Who can doubt that this was God's own plan ? 

One may sow, another may water, but faith receives 
the assurance that God WILL give the increase. 

C. L. R. H. 



[vi] 



Contents 


CHAP. 


PAGB 




PART FIRST 


I. 


Outward Journey 3 


II. 


Arrival in India . 




• 19 


III. 


A Favorable Introduction 




• 33 


IV. 


First Hot Season . 




. 44 


V. 


A Visit to the Hills 




• 59 


VI. 


Busy Days 




7i 


VII. 


General Work. 




84 


VIII. 


As M Saw It . 




98 


IX. 


Second Journey to India 




HI 


X. 


Visitors from America . 




129 


XI. 


Decennial Conference at 


Cal- 






cutta 




141 




PART SECOND 


XII. 


Call to Rajputana . . .159 


XIII. 


A Summer Resort . 






186 


XIV. 


Return to Khetri 






199 


XV. 


A New Companion 






213 


XVI. 


A Pilgrimage 






223 


XVII. 


Distinguished Visitors 






243 


XVIII. 


In the Mountains 






256 


XIX. 


Birth of an Heir 
[vii] 






272 



Contents 



XX. 


A Visit to Besau . 


. 282 


XXI. 


A Marriage Arrangement . 


. 294 


XXII. 


A Royal Wedding 


. 306 


XXIII. 


Last Days .... 
PART THIRD 


• 3 2 4 


XXIV. 


Return to India . 


• 34-1 



[ viii 1 



Illustrations 



Frontispiece 

C. A. Swain, M. D. Miss I. Thoburn 

1869 1869 

Facing page 

26 
36 
74 
78 
94 
95 



Household Servants . 

Medical Class, 1870 . 

Nawab of Rampore's Gift 

The Dispensary . 

Taj Mahal Gateway 

The Taj Mahal, from the River 

Bareilly Library at Entrance to the 

Bazar ...... 

The Main Bazar, Bareilly 

The Suez Canal .... 

The House Remodelled and Repaired 

The Khetri Palace .... 

A Rath 

Andriyas, the Converted Faqir 

The City Bathing Tank . 

The Khetri Heir .... 

The New House Near the Palace 

State Elephant and Howdah 

Dr. C. A. Swain, 1906 

The Young Rajah of Khetri, Fifteen 
Years Old . 



104 
106 ' 

112' 

'35' 
162^ 

204. 

225 ~ 

246 

3°4 

3°7 

33°' 

341- 

354^ 



Part I 

Bareilly, India 
1870-1885 



I 

Outward Journey 



New York, Oct. 30, 1 86 9. 
My dear Sister : 

I am very glad to report my safe arrival in 
New York after my much dreaded journey. I reached 
the city about noon and made my way to the mission 
rooms without difficulty, where I met Dr. Durbin and 
Dr. Harris, the missionary secretaries, who gave me a 
hearty welcome and offered me any assistance I might 
need in packing or other arrangements. 

Dr. Terry took me to his home where I am to re- 
main until we sail, and I found Mrs. Butler there 
waiting to receive me. She wished me to go to Pas- 
saic to spend the Sabbath with her but I excused my- 
self as I preferred to go to Brooklyn ; however, to 
my great annoyance the expressman failed to bring 
my trunk so I was disappointed about going to Mr. 

C 's as I had intended. I considered the detention 

of my baggage providential when, at the breakfast- 
table this morning, Dr. Terry told me that a love- 
feast — the one hundred and third anniversary — was 
to be held to-day at the John Street Church, and I 
must not fail to go. I thought at first that my untidy 
[3] 



A Glimpse of India 

condition would detain me, but I could not afford to 
lose so rare an opportunity so I decided to go, hoping 
that the exercises would be so interesting that no one 
would notice me. 

Perhaps you will remember that the John Street 
Church was the first Methodist Episcopal Church in 
America. It was organized with five or six members 
and they struggled through many difficulties in trying 
to erect their building, but it was finally completed in 
1766. It has been rebuilt once since that time. It 
is a plain, neat building, and is called " The Stranger's 
Church. " Rev. Mr. Corbit is the pastor. 

The love-feast was beyond description. I can only 
say that it was glorious. There were a great many 
old people present some of whom gave very clear and 
wonderful testimonies. They sang old Methodist 
hymns and shouted just as people used to when we 
were children. I was greatly blessed and profited and 
could not help thinking what a precious place to spend 
my last Sabbath in America — among these fathers and 
mothers in Israel, and in the church which is the 
mother of all the branches of the Methodist Episcopal 
Church of this great nation. 

The president of Dickinson College addressed the 
people at the close of the love-feast. He is a man of 
culture and deep piety. His sermon was very appro- 
priate for the occasion and seemed to come home to 

[4] 



Outward Journey 

many who were greatly blessed and occasionally made 
the old church ring with their " Glory " and " Halle- 
lujahs." 

In the afternoon there was a reunion of all the 
former pastors of the church and the aged ministers 
of the city. It was interesting to listen to their ex- 
periences. There was one minister present ninety- 
five years old whose testimony for Christ was very 
encouraging for young Christians. It was a rare treat 
indeed and one which I do not expect to enjoy again 
in this world. I trust that I may be counted worthy 
to attend the great reunion in the better land, not only 
of ministers and people of our own Church but of those 
of all nations who have " washed their robes and made 
them white in the blood of the Lamb.'' 

Monday morning. 

Dr. Harris tells me that he has engaged our passage 
on the steamer Nevada which will sail Wednesday 
morning, November 3d, bound for Liverpool. I shall 
finish my packing to-day in order to have one day of 
rest before sailing. I have not yet seen Miss Tho- 
burn, my travelling companion. She was expected 
on Saturday, and is, probably, at some hotel in the 
city or with friends. 

I may not have time to write more than one letter 
Wednesday morning, and as I promised to write to 
Dr. Greene that letter will be for all of you. 
[5] 



A Glimpse of India 

Liverpool, England, Nov. Ijth. 

Here I am, safely landed in Liverpool, as well and 
happy as can be expected after a twelve days' rocking 
and rolling on the ever-restless ocean. The weather 
was fine all the way and our gallant ship did its part 
nobly. Miss Thoburn and I had a pleasant state- 
room with two berths, and everything provided for 
our comfort. 

We left New York at half-past two in the after- 
noon and after we had lost sight of the city we went 
down to our room to make all necessary arrangements, 
intending to go on deck again and stay until we were 
out of sight of land, but this pleasure was denied us. 
We had not been on deck long before we were glad 
to hurry back to our room and make ourselves as 
comfortable as circumstances would permit. There 
is no sickness to be compared to seasickness. I will 
not try to describe it, experience only can make one 
understand and appreciate it in all its phases. The 
captain was disgusted with us. He said if the voyage 
were two or three days longer he should be tempted 
to throw us overboard ; that he seldom had such a 
smooth and beautiful voyage and he did not see how 
any one could be seasick. 

We were on deck every day but two, going up 
early in the morning with our pillows and, blankets 
and staying all day. Our meals were brought up to 
[6] 



Outward Joitrney 

us, and the captain was very kind and tried to tempt 
us with a variety of food. 

We found some very pleasant people among the 
passengers, Rev. Dr. Smith and wife of Chicago, 
editor of the Baptist Standard; Dr. Reid and daughter 
of New York and Dr. Newton of Brooklyn, one of 
the physicians in charge of the Eye Infirmary. He 
and his wife were going to Europe on their wedding 
tour. I found that Mrs. Newton was educated at the 
seminary in Canandaigua and was acquainted with 
many of my old friends. We had a very pleasant 
time " talking about people," as Cousin Louis says. 
When we arrived in Liverpool these friends asked us 
to go to the hotel with them, which we were very glad 
to do as we found no one at the dock to meet us as we 
had expected. 

We arrived on Sunday and the gentleman who had 
been requested to meet us did not receive the letter 
until Monday, so we were obliged to attend to our 
baggage ourselves. I had my two trunks and six 
boxes to look after and the thought of having them 
all opened and examined was not pleasant, but the 
custom-house officer accepted my statement as to the 
contents of my trunks, and after looking over my lists 
passed them without giving us much trouble. 

We had not been long at the hotel when Mrs. 
Kelly, sister to Mrs. Butler of America, called and 
[7] 



A Glimpse of India 

invited us to her home to remain until the time of 
our sailing, and we are now in her delightful home. 

Seventeenth. 
This morning we received information that no 
steamer on which we could obtain passage to Alex- 
andria would leave here for, at least, ten davs ; so, as 
our stay in England will be thus prolonged, we have 
decided to go to London to-morrow and spend a few 
days in seeing the sights of that great metropolis. 

London, Nov. 18th. 

How little did we think one year ago that this date 
would find me in this great city. We arrived at half- 
past two this afternoon and found Dr. and Airs. Smith, 
our steamer friends, pleasantly situated in a private 
boarding-house where they had also secured rooms for 
us. They invited us to share their sitting-room and 
order our dinner with theirs, and we already begin to 
feel quite at home. 

Nineteenth. 

We were delighted with our journey yesterday. 
The farming countrv is beautiful ; the farms look 
like finely cultivated gardens bordered with well-kept 
hedges, and occasionally' we caught a glimpse of a 
large house surrounded with trees and flowers, which 
looked like a home of wealth and comfort. 

We began our sightseeing this morning, making 
[3] 



Outward Journey 

our first visit to the Tower, where we spent two or 
three hours among the relics of the past. We were 
admitted to three of the towers, and were shown the 
place where Lady Jane Grey was executed. While 
there a company of Highlanders came near and played 
a mournful dirge upon their bagpipes — so weird that it 
was almost painful. The Jewel Tower and St. John's 
Chapel each had interest for us. 

Leaving the Tower we drove to the Museum and 
spent the rest of the day there, where we saw so 
much to interest us that we were filled with regret 
that our time was so limited. 

Twentieth. 

To-day we visited the Houses of Parliament. The 
buildings are rich and massive and there was much 
to admire. You have, no doubt, read much better 
descriptions of the notable places in London than I 
can give you. This afternoon we have been to City 
Road Chapel where Mr. Wesley saw so many of 
those to whom he preached brought to Christ. Every- 
thing about the place is held sacred. The same pulpit 
is there which he used and it stands in the same place, 
but I believe it has been lowered a little. 

Do you know that Dr. Goodfellow, a returned 
missionary who spoke at our farewell meeting, pre- 
sented me with a frame made from the wood of this 
pulpit ? Dr. Durbin's picture was to have been put 
[9] 



A Glimpse of India 

in the frame but it was not finished, so it will be sent 
to me. 

Standing bv the graves of Wesley, Bunvan, Dr. 
Watts, Adam Clarke and others I felt like renewing 
my consecration and asking God to give me that 
love for His cause, that spirit of self-denial which 
caused Wesley to give up all that was dear to him for 
Christ's sake. How God blessed the labors of those 
earnest workers and gave them souls for their hire ! 
And how much better the world is to-dav because 
thev lived and labored for the salvation of souls ! 

Twenty-second. 

I have about come to the conclusion that it is 
quite impossible to go out sightseeing all dav and 
try to write mv journal-letter in the evening. I am 
so tired to-night that I can scarcely think. 

We expected to attend Mr. Spurgeon's Church yes- 
terday morning but hearing that he was quite ill at his 
home we went to Westminster Abbey where we 
listened to a line sermon from Dean Stanley, and in 
the afternoon at St. James Hall we heard Newman 
Hall. His subject was Repentance, and he made a 
most earnest appeal to the unconverted and to those 
who had grown weary in the work for Christ. The 
evening found us at City Road Chapel where we also 
heard an excellent sermon. 

[ io] 



Outward Journey 

Twenty-third. 

To-day we visited the Crystal Palace, a charming 
place made beautiful with plants and flowers surpass- 
ing in color and variety any collection I have ever 
seen. It would seem easy to be good in the midst of 
such surroundings. A few hours' stay among the 
tombs of England's kings, poets and historians, and 
a walk through the old cloisters where the monks 
used to walk and repeat their prayers, ended our sight- 
seeing. These cloisters are all that remain of the old 
Abbey. We returned to our rooms with grateful 
hearts for this unexpected and delightful visit to Lon- 
don. 

Liverpool, Nov. 26th. 

We returned to Liverpool Wednesday evening and 
are again guests in Mrs. Kelly's pleasant home. We 
have been down to see the steamer on which our pas- 
sage is engaged and find that it is a small coal steamer 
with only one cabin for ladies, in which are four 
berths. Everything looks clean and comfortable. 
We have each purchased a steamer chair, rug and a 
few other things for our comfort on the voyage. We 
were told that the steamer would sail on Saturday and 
that it would take seventeen days to reach Alexandria. 
Only one lady besides ourselves has engaged passage. 
Mrs. Kelly and her family have made our visit so 
pleasant that it seems almost like leaving home again. 

[■«] 



A Glimpse of hidia 

Saturday, 27th. 
Mrs. Kelly's son accompanied us to the steamer 
this morning. The officers are very kind and gentle- 
manly ; there is no stewardess or doctor. A few 
gentlemen have come on board, among them a young 
clergyman of the Church of England, who is going to 
India to officiate as chaplain in an up-country station. 
He was accompanied by an elderly gentleman who 
seemed rather anxious about him and asked us to pay 
him some attention in a friendly way. The lady who 
was to share our cabin has given up her passage. 

Mediterranean Sea, Dec. 10th. 

This is the first time I have taken up my pen since 
we left Liverpool. Contrary to our expectations our 
steamer did not sail until Monday, the twenty-eighth, 
so we went on shore on Sunday and attended church. 

We have had a rough voyage so far, but to-day the 
sea is more quiet and we are feeling better. In the 
Bay of Biscay the waves washed over the deck and 
broke the skylight in so that the water poured into 
our cabin and we were deluged. Fortunately the 
things that we had taken out of our trunks for daily 
use had been placed in the vacant berths, so they es- 
caped a wetting, but whatever was on the floor was 
thoroughly soaked. Our small ship rolled and tumbled 
but proved victorious over the great waves. To-day 

[12] 



Outward Journey 

we are gliding smoothly along and are really enjoying 
the sea. We caught a glimpse of the snowy tops of 
mountains on the Spanish coast, and on the seventh 
we passed Gibraltar, the "Lion of the Mediterranean." 

Fifteenth. 

We have seen such lovely sunsets of late. Miss 
Thoburn says thev are worth our long journey, seeing 
them gives us such pleasure. Early this morning we 
steamed into the harbor of Malta, and as soon as the 
ladder was lowered over the side of the steamer men 
rushed up on deck to show their wares. There were 
various kinds of merchandise ; beautiful Maltese and 
Italian laces and the most exquisite jewelrv. 

We looked longingly toward the town and wondered 
if it would be safe for us to go on shore and presently 
the captain came up and assured us that we would 
have nothing to fear. He engaged a boat and helped 
us down the shakv ladder and wished us a pleasant 
time. We were met at the landing bv an ofEcial 
guide who took us up a street which was all stairs 
with houses on each side. All the supplies for the 
people on these hilly streets are carried up by hand. 
The streets were full of beggars who caused us much 
annoyance until the guide drove them away. We vis- 
ited St. John's Cathedral, the government buildings, 
the Armory and the palace gardens. Oleanders, 

[13: 



A Glimpse of India 

poinsettias, and geraniums grow here very luxuriantly 
and are like small trees. The making of lace and 
jewelry are the chief industries. 

Alexandria, Nov. 2 1st. 
We left Malta on the evening of the fifteenth and 
arrived here early this morning. As we have some 
hours to spare we are going for a drive through the 
city. 

One of our steamer friends invited us to 
drive, and we went quite a distance to see Pompey's 
Pillar and the Obelisk, called Cleopatra's Needle, so 
the time has passed quite pleasantly while we are wait- 
ing for the train for Suez. 

Steamer Krishna, Red Sea, Dec. 2jtb. 

While you are, I trust, sweetly sleeping we are 
floating down the Red Sea beneath a scorching sun, 
fanned by Arabian breezes. 

I cannot realize that this hot day is Christmas. It 
seems too hot for the Fourth of July even. 

We left Alexandria on the twenty-first and crossed 
the country by rail to Suez. You will see on the map 
the part of the country of Egypt through which we 
passed. We crossed three of the branches of the 
Nile. The soil is very fertile and well cultivated 
though the farming is done in a very crude and ancient 

[14] 



Outward Journey 

style. We saw men plowing with a long stick for a 
plow and a cow and a camel yoked together. The 
people are very poor and miserable, living in little 
huts of stone or mud. We are told that they raise 
large crops but they are obliged to pay such heavy 
taxes that it keeps them very poor. We saw large 
cotton and wheat fields, and palm and orange groves 
loaded with ripe fruit which looked very tempting. 
We arrived at Suez at seven o'clock in the evening 
and were immediately surrounded by a crowd of 
Arabs, all anxious to get hold of our luggage. The 
gentlemen in our company were obliged to attend to 
their own business and we stood among this crowd for 
nearly an hour trying to hinder them from taking our 
parcels. 

One of the gentlemen came to our relief as soon as 
he could adjust his own affairs and took us to an 
English hotel where we met two young ladies who 
were sent out as missionaries to India by the United 
Presbyterian Board. There were four of them who 
left New York the Saturday before we sailed, two of 
whom were appointed to Egypt. These ladies had 
just come from Cairo in company with Rev. Mr. 
Ewing who lives there. He was the first American 
gentleman we had met since leaving England and we 
soon made his acquaintance and were proud to 
introduce him to the English gentlemen of our 

[15] 



A Glimpse of India 

company. Mr. E seemed pleased to see us and 

regretted that we could not visit Cairo. We Ameri- 
cans had supper by ourselves and after supper Mr. 

E proposed that we charter a boat and go down 

the Suez canal which opens into the bay about two 
miles from the city. It was nearly nine o'clock when 
we started. The evening was delightful and so light 

that we could almost see to read. Mr. E and 

our English friends discussed the question whether the 
canal would be a success or not, and the former 
gentleman was very sure it would be while the others 
shook their heads doubtfully. 

We saw some of the machinery which had been 
used in digging the canal. It is very quiet along the 
shores now ; the houses which had been occupied by 
workmen are vacant and everything is at a standstill. 
The company has used all its money and nothing can 
be done until another appropriation is made. It is a 
grand work and has already given employment to 
hundreds of poor natives. 

I believe that the building of railroads and canals 
and manufacturing establishments will do much to aid 
civilization. The country is overflowing with people 
who are lazy and indolent and who will lie or steal to 
get a mere subsistence, while some would work if 
they could get employment and were encouraged and 
taught. I cannot help thinking that good practical 
[16] 



Outward Journey 

business men who can teach these people would be 
most successful. 

To us the great want in Egypt seemed to be some- 
thing for the people to do, and we thought the same in 
Malta. 

We reached the canal and after sailing down it a 
short distance pronounced it a success and all joined 
in three cheers. I wish I could describe to von the 
beautv of the scene as we sat in our boat just at the 
entrance to the canal. The water was calm and as 
smooth as glass, not a wave or ripple except what was 
caused bv the slight motion of our boat. At our right 
we could see in the distance the lofty barren moun- 
tains and the vallev where, it is said, the children of 
Israel camped before crossing the Red Sea. The 
sight of the mountains suggested many thoughts and 
reminded us of their historical relation. After seeing 
something of the country and the customs of the 
people we could imagine, in a slight degree, the ap- 
pearance of such a multitude in their camp, and we 
fancied we could see the women with their kneading 
troughs and cooking utensils upon their shoulders. 
The women still carrv the burdens. We see them in 
the fields watching the cattle and the herds of sheep. 
It was two o'clock when we returned to the hotel. 

Mr. E left for Cairo in the morning and we 

came on board the steamer Krishna. Here we found 

[17] 



A Glimpse of India 

Mr. Ballentine and wife, the cousin of Miss D 

whom she told me about just before I left home. 

Mr. B goes to Bombay to engage in the cotton 

trade and his wife is anxious to take up missionary 
work. They are both young and very pleasant and 
companionable. There is also a missionary and his 
family returning to India from Scotland. He is 
employed by the American Board and has been in 
India eighteen years. He gives us many words of 
encouragement. 

I cannot tell you how glad we are to meet so many 
good people. Our company numbers eight and we 
have one end of the table to ourselves which is very 
desirable. The rest of the passengers are English, 
most of them officers and their wives. We have had 
the Christmas service read and no doubt we shall have 
a sumptuous dinner. 

It is so warm I must put this away for the present. 



[18] 



II 

Arrival in India 



Bareilly, India , 'Jan. 25, 18 JO. 
My dear Sister : 

When I laid my letter aside on Christmas 
Day I did not think that so many weeks would pass 
before I should be able to write again. 

The latter part of our voyage was very rough and I 
was too sick to write, and I had five sick ones to look 
after besides myself as there was no stewardess or ship 
doctor. I cannot bear to think of the sea, it treated 
me so badly. 

We were met at Bombay by Rev. Mr. Bowen, a mis- 
sionary who took us to lunch and arranged for our 
journey up-country. We were detained at Nagpur 
over a week waiting for our trunks. Mr. Thoburn, 
who met us there, was obliged to leave us in order to 
reach Bareilly in time for the conference. Our trunks 
came at last and we left Nagpur on the evening of the 
17th of January in one of those delightful "dak garis" 
which Mr. Coffin describes so perfectly in his book 
" A New Way Around the World." We appreciated 
his experience more fully when one of the horses lay 
down in the road and the men tried for an hour to get 

[19] 



A Glimpse of India 

it up ; when they succeeded they left us alone in the 
conveyance while they went back three miles for an- 
other pair of horses. All around us in the jungles we 
could see fires built by the natives to keep tigers away 
from their huts. 

We made ourselves as comfortable as possible with 
blankets and shawls, closed the doors of the convey- 
ance and lay down for a nap, weary and I fear a little 
discouraged, but sleep came to our relief and when we 
awakened the men had returned with fresh horses and 
were hard at work trying to make them go. We 
reached the Government Rest-House at Jubalpore 
toward night the next day just in time to miss the 
train. Fearing this might happen Mr. Thoburn had 
made arrangements with a European family to enter- 
tain us and we were cordially welcomed in their home. 
As there was no train we could take until the next 
day, we had time to rest and visit the city. 

Many of the wealthy business men live on the main 
street. The houses are gorgeous, some of them two 
stories high, painted with a great variety of colors and 
ornamented with pictures of idols and temples and 
queer-looking animals. The merchants and grain- 
sellers do all their business out on the verandas in 
front of their buildings ; they keep their goods piled 
up on the veranda and sit by them waiting for cus- 
tomers. 

[20] 



Arrival in India 

We passed several shops where men were making 
ornaments for the nose, ears, ankles and toes. They 
would hardly be called jewelry as they are made of 
various materials, some of silver, some of lead and 
some of a very thin material of different colors which 
looked like glass. The leaden rings for the ankles 
were very heavy ; it would be hard for some of us to 
raise our feet with such a weight attached to them. 
In addition to these anklets the women wear an orna- 
ment on the big toe which looks as if it might be painful. 

We saw men beating brass and making it into 
plates and drinking vessels, and others making brown 
earthen vessels to hold water. Their methods of 
manufacture are very simple as well as their way of 
living. 

We travelled by rail to Cawnpore which is one 
hundred and eighty miles from Bareilly. Here we 
left the cars and took a dak gari again but I am happy 
to say that the horses were more civilized and seemed 
to know their duty, and two or three men could make 
them start. 

But we had great difficulty in getting anything to 
eat for there was only one Rest-house on this route 
and it was almost impossible to make the men under- 
stand what we wanted ; however, by pointing and 
making various signs we succeeded in getting some 
tea and the bread used by the natives. 

[21] 



A Glimpse of India 

I: was six o'clock in the morning and we had a 
hard dav's travel before us and we wanted some food 
to take with us but did not succeed in getting a: 
we were obliged to fast until we reached Bareilly. 

When we arrived at the river Ganges we left the 
gari and were carried across the river in small doolies 
carried on men's shoulders, The bridge of boats 
seemed rather unstable but we were taken safely over 
and were not sorrv to find garis ready for us. We 
saw men and women bathing in this, their sacred 
river, and met manv more on their way to it. Manv 
things that we saw on our wav up-countrv touched 
our hearts and led us to pray earnestly that God 
would make us useful to this people in teaching them 
of the true God and how to lead better lives. 

We reached Bareilly about five o'clock in the 
morning, January 23th, and were warmly welcomed 
by the missionaries bv whom we were to be enter- 
tained and after a refreshing bath, a few hours rest 
and a comfortable meal we were readv to meet those 
who had been anxious for our arrival. The annual 
conference was in session and all the missionaries of 
our Church in India were in Bareilly with their fami- 
lies and we were soon introduced to them by our 
hostess. The women shook hands with us and kissed 
us and all seemed to talk at once. 

As soon as I could eet a hearing I as^ed if there 

["-- ] 



Arrival in India 

were any letters and five were brought to me. Life 
seems different to me already and I appreciate more 
than ever everything that is good and noble. The 
words of love and good wishes and the many assur- 
ances in my letters that I am faithfully remembered in 
prayer are a great comfort to me, and now that I have 
been brought in safety to India where I am to work 
for the Master I feel the need of the prayers of my 
friends more than ever. As I begin to realize what 
is before me and the expectations of the people con- 
cerning my work my faith and courage almost fail me. 

^January 26^ l8j0* 
Conference is over and nearly all of the mission- 
aries have left for their respective stations, all seeming 
eager to get back to their work. 

Sunday could hardly be called a day of rest. At 
eight o'clock in the morning occurred the conference 
love-feast. All the services were held in the Or- 
phanage schoolroom which is used as a chapel, and at 
this early hour the room was full. The testimonies 
were given in English and in Hindustani, some of the 
missionaries appearing to use the latter as fluently as 
the natives themselves. Though we could not un- 
derstand what was said in the native tongue the happy 
faces of the Christians who spoke and of the orphan 
girls who testified of Christ's love for them and His 
[23] 



A Glimpse of India 

saving power, gave ample evidence that thev under- 
stood the spirit of Christianitv. The singing was all 
in Hindustani and the hymns were certainlv sung with 
spirit. A hvmn-book was handed to me but though I 
knew the tune the words of the hymn were bevond me. 
Occasionallv there would be short, earnest pravers 
and a few verses of a hvmn would be sung to a native 
tune in a most enthusiastic manner. Truly it was a 
blessed beginning of the sacred dav. 

Eleven o'clock was the hour for the Hindustani 
preaching service and the chapel was crowded. Bishop 
Kingsley preached in English, his words being interpre- 
ted by one of the missionaries. We could understand 
every word of this simple but excellent sermon. Then 
followed the communion service, and after that the 
native Sundav-school. The opening exercises were 
conducted in the chapel, then the classes retired to the 
small rooms, coming together again at the closing hour. 
There was a special service in the afternoon for the 
older girls of the Orphanage which I did not attend 
as I wanted to rest a little before the evening service. 
This was an English service and besides the mission- 
aries quite a number of the English residents of Bareilly 
were present, notice having been sent around the sta- 
tion that Bishop Kingsley would preach. Weariness 
was forgotten as we listened to the forceful, eloquent 
sermon, uplifting in its simplicitv, convincing in its 

[24] 



Arrival in India 

earnestness. I could have listened for a much longer 
time. 

A light supper was served at six-thirty and then oc- 
curred the social missionary service of prayer and 
praise, just a family of our Father's children talk- 
ing together of His loving dealings with them and of 
the sweetness of His presence and His care over them 
through the year just past. I did not wonder that it 
was hard to close such a meeting though the hour was 
late. 

Conference week is the only time in the year when 
the missionaries are likely to meet one another. Some 
live in isolated stations where there are few or no 
Europeans, and even if there are European residents 
the missionaries are so occupied with their own work 
that there is not much time for social life, so these an- 
nual gatherings are precious privileges in more senses 
than one. 

We enjoyed the conference sessions very much. 
We were formally introduced at the Monday morning 
session and as the bishop gave us the hand of welcome 
the conference rose to greet us. We were asked if 
we would say a few words but we did not detain the 
conference long with our speeches. 

The missionary ladies met every afternoon to talk 
over their work and to estimate for the work of the 
coming year, and these meetings were preceded by a 
[25] 



A Glimpse of India 

delightful prayer service which was, indeed, a time of 
refreshing. 

The conference adjourned on Tuesday and Miss 
Thoburn and I received our appointments, Miss Tho- 
burn to educational work in Lucknow and I to med- 
ical work in Bareilly. It would have been pleasant 
for us to be in one station but the needs of the work 
had to be considered. 

My medical work really began the day of my ar- 
rival. When I came out of my room in the morning 
I found a company of native Christian women and 
girls eagerly awaiting the appearance of the " Doctor 
Miss Sahiba," and with the aid of a good missionary 
sister I was able to understand their words of welcome 
and find out what I could do to help them. As I had 
no medicines with me I procured a few simple reme- 
dies for their ailments from Mrs. Thomas who has 
quite a little dispensary for she has been obliged to 
care for the sick in the mission compounds and the 
Christian village as well as the girls in the Orphanage. 
I had fourteen patients that first day. 

February jtb. 

My dear M 

This is my third Sabbath in Bareilly. The 
first Sabbath Bishop Kingsley, who was here for the 
conference, ordained six native preachers. The serv- 

[26] 



Arrival in India 

ice was very impressive. We were told that some of 
these men were obliged to give up their wives and 
children and all their friends when they became 
Christians, as then they break their caste, and it fre- 
quently happens that a woman will turn against her 
husband or son when thev change their religion. 

Last Sabbath we had services in Hindustani ; most 
of the congregation were natives and they all sat on 
the floor in the chapel and listened with great atten- 
tion. The Sunday-school exercises lasted until noon 
and there was preaching at four o'clock. This is the 
regular order of exercises through the year. 

I have just returned from Sunday-school and am 
glad to say that I have a class. A few of the older 
girls in the Orphanage understand English and Mrs. 
Thomas has given them to me to be taught. I 
understand scarcely a word of the church services, so 
this Sunday class is quite a boon to me. 

I cannot sav that I am disappointed in India. I 
find it much as I expected, except that the countrv is 
more beautiful. I have a pleasant home here and 

find things very comfortable. Mrs. T says that 

a number of girls are readv for mv medical class and 
I am anxious to begin with them but may be obliged 
to wait some time yet for my boxes of books and 
charts. It takes a long time to get things up from 
Bombay. 

[27] 



A Glimpse of India 

I can scarcely realize that the ground is covered 
with snow at home while it is so warm and delightful 
here. The peach trees are in bloom and so are the 
strawberry-vines and the mango trees. Just now we 
have guavas, oranges, limes and a fruit called pumelo, 
which resembles an orange and looks like a pumpkin 
growing on a tree. This is the season for vegetables 
and we are having peas, string beans, lettuce, cabbage 
and beets. Rice is much used here and we have it 
cooked in a variety of appetizing ways. The mut- 
ton is good and we have beef, fowls, and fish occa- 
sionally. Mr. T keeps cows so we have milk 

for our tea and coffee, and the cook makes a fresh pat 
of butter every morning. The cows in India give 
very little milk ; some people keep goats and buffaloes ; 
the latter give much more milk than cows and their 
milk is rich in butter. 

The two mission houses and grounds are very 
pretty and pleasant. The houses are one story high 
built chiefly of sun-dried brick, plastered over and 
whitewashed and have tiled roofs. They have wide 
verandas which add to the beauty and comfort of 
the house. Very little wood is used in building. 
The floors are brick and are covered with coarse 
matting over which are cotton floor-cloths stamped in 
neat patterns. There is a fireplace in my room and 
on the mantelpiece stands my favorite vase filled 

[ 2 8] 



Arrival in India 

with beautiful roses and sweet jasmine. The gardener 
brings me fresh flowers every other morning. 

Tuesday, Jth. 

It is near sunset and as I look out through my 
open door I see dark-faced men dressed in white and 
different colors going home from their daily work, 
some on foot and some in small conveyances drawn 
by a pony or a more pretentious one drawn by a 
pair of trotting bullocks. The wealthier natives 
are usually carried in palanquins or in doolies on men's 
shoulders. There is a great variety of vehicles, all 
strange to a foreign eye. Elephants are used con- 
siderably for riding and camels for carrying burdens. 
We see them passing every day. 

Quite a number of native gentlemen have called 
to pay their respects, as they say. Some of them 
have told me that they appreciate my having left my 
native land and all my friends to come here to care for 
their women who can never see a physician of the 
other sex. I have had several invitations to visit some 
of their houses. One day I was asked to see a sick 
person in the home of one of the richest natives in 
the city, and when I came away the gentleman of the 
house handed me a gold piece worth eight dollars. 

The news had quickly spread abroad that a lady 
doctor had come from America to treat the sick and 
[*9] 



A Glimpse of India 

that she would visit them in their homes, or any sick 
ones might come to the mission house where they 
would receive attention and get medicine free of 
charge, and men, women and children came, with ail- 
ments real and ailments fancied, coughs and fevers 
being the chief troubles. 

When I go to the city Mrs. Thomas or a native 
Christian woman who understands English accom- 
panies me to act as interpreter. One of my first 
visits was to the house of a Hindu gentleman who had 
been among the first to call and pay his respects to 
me. His family consisted of a wife and one child, a 
boy six years old, the pride of his parents and the joy 
of the household. The servants were always ready 
to do what he asked and his every wish was gratified. 

We were cordially received and after the usual 
ceremony of offering pan or betel-leaf and various 
sweetmeats, which etiquette required us to taste, I 
turned my attention to my patient, whose illness 
proved to be the result of a long-standing disease 
which, in due time, would yield to proper medical and 
hygienic treatment. She seemed quite happy at the 
thought of being well again some time, and both she 
and her husband assured me that my directions in re- 
gard to diet and the taking of the medicine regularly 
should be carefully observed. 

I was much interested in the appearance of this 

[30] 



Arrival in India 

native lady. She was shy and modest, richly dressed 
and seemed quite intelligent. She had always lived 
in seclusion, knowing almost nothing of life outside 
her own home. She asked many questions about our 
dress, our customs and our religious faith. Her hus- 
band has an office under government and is much 
more liberal in his views than are most Brahmans. 
He is teaching his wife to read, and said he would 
like her to learn needlework if we could send some 
one to teach her, which we will gladly do. 

You may like a description of this native house. 
On entering we passed through a small apartment 
used as a stable for the horse and cows, and through 
a doorway which led from this into a square open 
court, on two sides of which were open verandas with 
sleeping rooms back of them. One of these verandas, 
with its apartments, seemed to be occupied by the 
servants, and the other served as the sitting and dining- 
room of the family. A thick cotton rug lay on the 
floor and there were two small mats, three chairs, and 
a small table. The gentleman received us and asked 
us to be seated and he then brought his wife and intro- 
duced her, telling her to shake hands with us, and 
bringing forward a chair motioned to her to be seated. 
It is, I believe, unusual for a native woman to sit on 
a chair in the presence of her husband, this honor 
being accorded only to the mother of sons ; in this 

[31] 



A Glimpse of India 

case it showed the happy relation existing between 
husband and wife, for the woman sat with uncovered 
face and showed no embarrassment even in the com- 
pany of strangers. 

We have visited other zananas, and are invariably 
ofFered pan, which I must describe to you. A betel 
leaf — which is pungent in itself — is washed and on it 
is laid a little tobacco, a morsel of lime, some broken 
bits of the betel or areca nut, some cardemons and one 
or two other aromatic spices, and then the leaf is folded 
over into a three-cornered shape and fastened together 
with a small thorn. It makes quite a mouthful. Pan 
is used by all classes of natives and by all ages as a 
digestive after meals. The chewing of it gives a very 
unpleasant red color to the mouth and lips, but that 
does not detract from the pleasure enjoyed by the 
user. It is always offered to visitors, and we accept 
it, but take it away with us and find a way to dispose 
of it. 



[32] 



Ill 

A Favorable Introduction 



February 18, 1870. 
My dear Sister : 

I enjoy my visits to the Orphanage, and am 
never happier than when surrounded by the little 
brown faces. I enclose the picture of a little orphan 
who has lately come, and is waiting for some one to 
adopt her. She is a bright little thing and is begin- 
ning to learn to adapt herself to school life. This 
famine has brought in a great many homeless waifs. 
The expense of supporting a girl in the Orphanage is 
thirty dollars ($30) a year, and she remains here until 
she is capable of becoming a teacher or Bible reader 
or she marries. The girls are taught to work and 
make themselves useful as well as to study. Much 
attention is given to Bible study and it is pleasant to 
see what interest even the little ones take in it and 
how quickly they memorize. I think if some of our 
good people at home could see these little destitute 
ones it would not be long before they would all be 
adopted by patrons in America. 

The children gather around me and kiss my hand 

[33] 



A Glimpse of India 

and get hold of my dress as if they feared that I would 
leave them. They are very loving and affectionate. 

Every morning a little company of them, in charge 
of a teacher or an older girl, come to my room for 
medicine, some with sore eyes, some with a touch of 
fever or a cold, some with a cou^h or sore throat. 
All these little ailments are attended to, but the little 
ones are in no hurry to leave, and they frequently 
have something to tell which amuses and interests me. 

February 20th. 

My boxes containing my library, medicines, charts 
and skeleton have arrived. Thev were six weeks 
coming from Bombay by train and by ox-cart. It 
seems like a fresh breeze from home to see and open 
them. My trunk, which a gentleman mistook for 
his, was sent off to some place in the Punjab, but it 
has been returned to Bareillv, so I have now all my 
belon^inss and shall soon begin mv class work. 

There are fourteen girls in the Orphanage whom 
Mrs. Thomas has taken great pains to teach both in 
English and Hindustani with a view to their studying 
medicine should the mission succeed in securing some 
one from America to instruct them. There are three 
married women who were taught in the Orphanage 
who wish to join the class, so I shall have seventeen 
pupils. 

[34] 



A Favorable Introduction 

Twenty -fifth. 

I have had a number of patients from the city and 
a few from the Christian village across the way this 
morning, and I was asked to go over to the village 
to see a woman who was not able to come to the 
bungalow. I found her lying upon her cot — a string bed 
— without either mat or sheet under her. On the mud 
floor beneath the bed were some coals and hot ashes to 
keep her warm. Not a bad idea for such a chilly morn- 
ing, especially when one is suffering from a malarial chill. 

It is interesting to see how these people make the 
best of their limited means and yet are compara- 
tively comfortable. A string bed, a drinking vessel, 
a large brass plate, an iron plate on which they 
bake their unleavened cakes and a vessel in which 
they cook their rice or vegetables often comprise the 
whole of their earthly possessions. You can see how 
much less trouble it is to them to move from one 
place to another than for us. They bundle their 
goods together, put them on the bed, and a man or 
woman carries the load off* on his or her head while 
the family follow on behind. I often meet such a 
procession when I am on my way to the city. 

I am learning a little every dav of the language and 
customs of the people and the more I learn and min- 
gle with them the more I see of the difficulties I have 
to cope with. 

[35] 



A Glimpse of India 

March 6th. 

On the first of this month I began my medical 
class with fourteen girls from the Orphanage and three 
married women. Two or three of the girls under- 
stand English very well so that one interprets for me 
as I give the lessons in my own language. At present 
we take anatomy, physiology and materia medica. 
We meet every morning at six o'clock in one of the 
class-rooms of the Orphanage school building and 
spend from one to two hours on the lesson. The 
skeleton which, you remember, astonished the Liver- 
pool custom-house officer so much when he opened 
the box, hangs near me. One of the girls when she 
first saw the skeleton, exclaimed, " Oh, Miss Sahiba, 
how will this woman rise in the resurrection with her 
flesh in America and her bones in India ? " I leave 
you to answer this question in your next letter. 

Two of the class are appointed each week to look 
after the sick girls in the Orphanage and to accom- 
pany me when I go to the city and to the Christian 
village. Some of them are very capable and will, I 
trust, in time make very clever doctors ; others will 
make good nurses and more careful mothers for hav- 
ing the knowledge gained here. 

Tenth. 

Just in front of the mission bungalow is a pretty 
little summer-house, in shape like the Temple of 

[36] 




o 



<0 



A Favorable Introduction 

Jupiter in Rome, but of more perishable material, 
covered with trailing vines. We take our early 
breakfast — a cup of tea and slice of toast — here every 
morning before going to our work. This is a ne- 
cessity as we have a late breakfast after the morning 
work is over. 

It was cool and pleasant this morning and after 
teaching my class and attending to the patients who 
had come to the bungalow I drove to the city to visit 
some patients in their homes. Mrs. Thomas and one 
of my class girls went with me. After driving quite 
a distance through the main bazar we turned into a 
narrow crooked street and came to the house where 
my patient lives. It is not to be wondered at that 
there should be sickness in such unsanitary surround- 
ings ! The woman is very ill and I fear will not re- 
cover. She is young and has one child, a boy about 
three years old. Her willingness to submit to treat- 
ment and take the medicines prescribed for her makes 
her case a more hopeful one than many that come 
under my care. Although a " shut-in " she appears 
to be more intelligent than many of her class. 

Our next visit was to a high-caste Hindu family 
consisting of a man and his wife and five married 
sons. The mother is a chronic invalid. I fancy she 
has enough to do in trying to keep her five daughters- 
in-law in submission for they all seem to have ideas of 
[37] 



A Glimpse of India 

their own. Each of them has her separate apartments 
and cooks for herself and husband. There are no 
children in either of these young families. 

We have made several visits to this house and the 
mother has taken quite a fancy to me, so much so 
that her sympathies are really touched because I have 
no husband. To-day she asked me if I would marry 
a Hindu gentleman, and said if I would she would 
find a husband for me. She says that I am not bad- 
looking and she cannot see why I did not marry in 
my own country. My answer was not a satisfactory 
one to her and she continued to wonder. 

Some of the young women are learning to read and 
to sing our hymns, but the mother is not willing that 
we should teach anything that would disturb their faith 
or hers. She is a very bigoted Hindu, and her rule is 
paramount in the home ; notwithstanding her severity 
she has some admirable qualities and her sons show 
her much respect. 

On our way home we were called into a house to 
see a young Mohammedan woman who had been grow- 
ing deaf gradually for some time. On questioning 
her I found that she had a very severe attack of ear- 
ache about a year ago and that she had, at that time, 
applied some medicine on cotton to both ears. Ex- 
amination of the ears showed a little ball of cotton 
encrusted with wax against the drum of each ear so 

[38] 



A Favorable hitrodttction 

that sound was perfectly obstructed. These were 
soon removed and a more grateful woman it would be 
difficult to find. She insisted on our taking pan and 
sweetmeats, this being all she could offer as she is a 
poor woman. 

We reached home quite ready for our eleven o'clock 
breakfast. 

A great sorrow has come to us. Mr. and Mrs. 
Scott and their two little girls were camping out in the 
district when Elma, the eldest, about four years old, 
was taken suddenly ill with diphtheria. They brought 
her in to Bareilly at once and everything possible was 
done to relieve her but medicines seemed to have no 
effect and she passed away after a few hours. 

Her death is a great grief to the parents and to us 
all. Little Allie is scarcely old enough to realize her 
loss only as she misses her playmate. This is the 
first one among my patients whom I have not been 
able to benefit. 

April 18th. 
Since I wrote you last Bareilly has been honored 
with a visit from the Lieutenant-Governor of the 
Northwest Provinces, Sir William Muir who, with 
Lady Muir, was on his way to Naini Tal, which is 
the seat of government for these provinces during the 
hot season. The governor held a durbar or reception 

[39] 



A Glimpse of India 

for the native chiefs of the Rohilkund district and 
Lady Muir invited Mrs. Thomas and me to be pres- 
ent and sit with her on the dais, thinking that it would 
be a fine opportunity for me to be made known to the 
elite of the district, as all the government officials, 
native as well as European, were present. 

It was a pretty sight to look upon. The fine-look- 
ing Mohammedan and Hindu gentlemen were attired 
in gold embroidered robes of satin or velvet, royal 
purple, bright blue, green and even scarlet making a 
brilliant display, while the delicate colors of their tur- 
bans added a touch of daintiness to the costumes. 

Each was presented in turn to the governor who 
made a pleasant remark as he received their salutation, 
and then followed his official address, in the course of 
which he said that the women of Bareilly and the ad- 
joining towns in their time of need would now have 
the advantage of a physician who could enter their 
homes which up to this time had been closed to the 
medical profession of the other sex ; then turning to- 
ward me he mentioned my name and said that he 
hoped that when the women and children in the fami- 
lies of the gentlemen now before him needed medical 
attention they would not fail to call in the lady doc- 
tor. 

The Nawab of Rampore — a Mohammedan— had 
come to Bareilly to meet the lieutenant-governor. 

[40] 



A Favorable Introduction 

He arrived in a golden carriage drawn by fine horses, 
with outriders, followed by a retinue of horsemen, 
state officials and servants, the whole making a bril- 
liant royal procession. 

The next day Sir William visited the native college 
and addressed the students, and we were also invited 
to attend on this occasion. The address was in Hin- 
dustani, and I did not understand it only as Mrs. 
Thomas occasionally interpreted a sentence to me. 
In the afternoon Sir William and the Nawab of Ram- 
pore with his staff, visited the Girls* Orphanage. 
The Nawab seemed pleased with what he saw and 
heard, especially with the intelligent replies of the 
medical class as I questioned them on the bones and 
muscles of the human body. He said he did not know 
that girls could learn so much. 

When he returned to his tent he sent a thousand 
rupees as a present for the Orphanage. 

Lady Muir called on us at the bungalow and invited 
Mrs. Thomas and me to accompany her to the city to 
visit a widowed Rani. The Rani told us that she 
had just returned from a pilgrimage to Benares, the 
sacred city of the Hindus. She is very devout in her 
way. She treated us with much respect and as we 
were leaving a large brass tray of gold and silver coin 
was presented to us, which offering we were expected 
simply to touch as we made our salam. 

[41] 



A Glimpse of India 

On the floor near by where we sat were trays of 
fresh fruit, peaches, figs, melons and other fruits and 
at evening these were sent to our bungalow as a mark 
of respect. 

We afterward visited the house of a wealthy Mo- 
hammedan gentleman where we found two hundred and 
fifty women and children, fifty of whom belonged to 
his household ; the rest were pupils of the Moham- 
medan schools of the city who had been gathered here to 
be examined by Lady Muir. We heard some of them 
read and Lady Muir questioned them a little and then 
distributed some gifts, and gave them a nice little talk. 
Both Sir William and Lady Muir are so thoroughly 
good and just toward all classes that their words are 
considered almost sacred. It will be a great help to 
my work among native families to have been intro- 
duced by them in this way. 

I must not omit to say that these schools in the 
city were all organized by this Mohammedan gentle- 
man, who is deputy commissioner of the Bareilly Dis- 
trict. 

Twenty-first. 

The heat is intense and we can only go out morn- 
ing and evening unless really obliged to. This has 
been my lot a few times of late. I have had a serious 
case which has caused me great anxiety for several 
days. The patient is the wife of our Bengali 
[42] 



A Favorable Introduction 

preacher, who also teaches in the mission school. 
She is only eighteen years of age — one of the loveliest 
women I have ever met. The day after the birth 
of her child she was taken with fever which con- 
tinued for five days and seemed beyond control. I 
worked over her faithfully and to-day she is more 
comfortable and I think she will recover. I dare not 
leave her to a native nurse so I take the whole care of 
her myself, except such little attention as her husband 
can give while I am visiting other patients. 

Calls for medical attention increase in number 
daily and nearly every day I go to the city both 
morning and evening. I visit regularly in fifteen dif- 
ferent zananas. It is a trial to me not to be able to 
talk with the women instead of speaking through an 
interpreter. I suppose, in a way, this first year will 
be my hardest year in India. I have to study the 
diseases peculiar to the climate and country and their 
treatment, keeping in mind the mode of life of the 
people, which is not always favorable to the recovery 
of a patient. 



[43] 



IV 

First Hot Season 



Bareilly, April 25, 18 Jo. 
My dear Sister : 

The hot season began about the first of this 
month and is now well upon us. The hot winds 
blow from about ten o'clock in the forenoon till four 
or five o'clock in the afternoon, and it is very un- 
pleasant to be out of doors during this time, but with 
the arrangements we have for cooling the house the 
wind proves a wonderful help. Fragrant grass mats 
are fitted into the open doors on the side from which 
the wind comes, and these are kept wet, so that the 
wind blowing through them cools the atmosphere and 
seems like a fresh mountain breeze, and with the 
punkhas or fans swinging over us from the ceiling we 
are made quite comfortable. 

All our work is done in the early morning, of 
course, and after breakfast we slip on our dressing- 
gowns and rest for an hour, then write letters and I 
take this time to prepare my lesson for the medical 
class which I organized soon after my boxes arrived. 

Even these hot days are not quite long enough for 
all that I plan to accomplish ; interruptions come 
frequently, for the native people do not mind the heat 

[44] 



First Hot Season 

as we do, and they think of something they wish to 
consult us about or some one is taken sick suddenly 
and our quiet is broken in upon. 

Yesterday a woman was led into my room by her 
Ayah ; she had ophthalmia and both her eyes were so 
badly swollen that she could not open them. After 
two hours' treatment I sent her home rejoicing, both 
eyes open and the pain nearly gone. 

This is the month for cholera, smallpox, ophthalmia 
and other eye troubles occasioned by dust and the 
heat and glare, and I have many patients to attend to. 
In the evening I go to the city when needed, or take 
a drive with Mrs. Thomas through cantonments and 
out into the country. These drives are very refresh- 
ing and just what we need after being shut in for so 
many hours. In America we would prefer a brisk 
walk but in this climate one cannot walk far without 
getting very tired. My walking is done in the early 
morning as I go among the sick in the compound and 
the Christian village. 

A number of patients came to the bungalow this 
morning, and it was very late before I got through 
with them all and with my class, which takes nearly 
two hours as I teach the lesson through an interpreter. 

The doubt entertained by some whether native 
women would come to the mission house for medical 
aid is entirely removed. They seem glad to come ; 
[45] 



A Glimpse of India 

not only those of the poorer and middle classes but some 
from the most respectable and high caste families have 
come to us. 

We greatly need a hospital and I scarcely know 
how to get along without one. If our work con- 
tinues to increase we could care for many more if we 
had a suitable place for patients to remain with us, 
and it would also save much of our time and strength. 
Hospitals, especially for women and children, are much 
needed in India, and if properly conducted might do 
much for their social and religious improvement as 
well as for the relief of their physical suffering. In 
talking with a native gentleman a few days ago, he 
remarked, " Such homes for the sick are just what we 
need. Native ladies would not hesitate to go to a 
hospital superintended by a lady physician, and I am 
anxious that the first one should be in Bareilly." 
Was not this encouraging ? 

May 8th. 

We have just received the sad and startling news 
of Bishop Kingsley's death at Beirut of heart trouble. 
The date of his death was not mentioned but it was, 
probably, more than six weeks ago. Dr. Bannister 
was with him. So much news of this kind has come 
to us of late that we ask ourselves, Who next ? 
Bishop Kingsley's wise and gentle administration at 
the Conference, and his strong and earnest sympathy 

[46] 



First Hot Season 

and valuable counsel endeared him to the missionaries, 
and his sudden translation has cast a gloom over us 
all. His great interest in our work led the mission- 
aries to expect much from his report at home of the 
needs of the mission. But God's ways are higher 
than our ways, and His thoughts than our thoughts. 

July 20th. 

The rainy season began about a month ago. The 
first few showers were very refreshing after so many 
weeks of intense heat. The scorched brown lawns 
are now a beautiful green and all nature seems to 
have sprung suddenly into new life. I have never 
seen it rain as it does here j it comes in torrents. 
One day as I was coming home from the city I was 
caught in a rain-storm and the carriage box was soon 
filled with water and I found myself in an impromptu 
foot-bath, shoes and stockings as well. It was a warm 
day, still my wetting resulted in an attack of rheuma- 
tism which laid me aside for a time. 

The rain comes down heavily for a few hours then 
the sun shines and it is hot and steamy, just the kind 
of weather which makes one feel that even a grass- 
hopper is a burden. The rainy season lasts until the 
end of September, which is considered the most un- 
healthy month of the season because of decaying vege- 
tation creating malaria. 

[47] 



A Glimpse of India 

Bareilly is noted for malarial fever. The side 
streets in the city and many of the native houses 
are so unsanitary that it is a marvel that any escape 
fever. Many Europeans, especially the families of 
government officials, spend the hot and rainy seasons 
in the mountains. The station looks quite forlorn, 
so many houses are closed and so few people are out 
for a drive in the evening. 

My work goes on as usual. As my practice in- 
creases I find my room in the mission house quite too 
small and inconvenient for the morning clinics, and 
the homes of the poor where I am called to attend 
the sick are so utterly destitute of comforts of any 
kind that what little I can do for them seems of very 
little use. I long for a clean, comfortable place near 
me to offer them. Our need of a hospital grows each 
day more urgent, but where can we purchase suitable 
grounds on which to build, and will the Society furnish 
the necessary means, are questions to be considered. 

October 28th. 
My dear Dr. Greene : 

I must write you a few words this morning to 
tell you how much I enjoy your letters. Whenever 
you want to do a real missionary work just write me a 
good long letter. I never knew the value of letters 
until I came to India. 

[48] 



First Hot Season 

We are seeing good results from our visits in the 
zananas. A Bengali woman who has been a patient 
of mine for some time asked us to bring her a Bible 
in her own language, and she is so much interested in 
reading it that she says she does not like to do any- 
thing else. The last time we went to see her she 
whispered to Mrs. Thomas, " I like that book so 
much, and I want you to explain it to me and tell 
me more about your religion." We expect her and 
her sister-in-law — a widow — to visit us this evening. 
She sent me word that they would come in a closed 
carriage at nine o'clock. I shall send all the men 
servants away from the house, as these are purdah 
women, and must not be seen outside of their home. 
We hope and trust that these women are truly seek- 
ing the Truth. 

Another patient said to us : "I wish there was 
only one religion in India, then we could all eat 
together without breaking our caste." The women 
often give us food and sweetmeats, but they would 
not eat a morsel of their own food with us nor allow 
us to touch one of their dishes or drinking vessels. 

The Bengali woman who asked for a Bible is in- 
telligent and if she becomes a Christian she will be 
capable of doing something for others, but there are 
many who do not quickly comprehend our teaching, 
and others are indifferent. 

[49] 



A Glimpse of India 

If you were to look into my room you would see 
the tiniest baby on my lounge, which I have had here 
for a week. It was so feeble and puny that I had no 
hope for its life. The mother was very ill and had 
no nourishment for it, and we have kept it alive by 
giving a few drops of milk at a time and now it really 
seems that it will live. I promised the mother that I 
would adopt the baby if she did not get well, but both 
she and the baby are now in a hopeful condition. 

I need not tell you how much I want to see you 
and how many times I wish for you when I return 
from my sick patients. How it would cheer me to 
find you in my room waiting to hear the result of my 
visits and give me some advice. I cannot tell you 
how hard it is to practice medicine here alone. 

December 26, 18 Jo. 
My dear Sister : 

As the year draws to a close I am interested in 
looking back over the months of service for the Master, 
and I feel grateful to God for what has been accom- 
plished. While many have been relieved from suffer- 
ing we have the hope that some among our patients 
have become thoughtful about their eternal interests. 
I find that in this my first year in India I have vis- 
ited seventy different families in the city and adjacent 
villages, with two hundred and fifty visits in the homes 

[50] 



First Hot Season 

of my patients, besides prescribing for twelve hundred 
and twenty-five patients at the mission house. In 
many of the families we have read the Bible and other 
religious books and have conversed freely with the 
women, some of whom are learning to read. 

It has been impossible to give regular instruction in 
all the zananas where we have been asked to teach as 
our number of helpers is so limited, so we have fol- 
lowed the plan of reading a portion of Scripture and 
explaining it in the presence of the family of each 
patient as we had time and opportunity. In this 
way we have succeeded in interesting the women and 
opening the way for friendly talk, and inducing some 
to learn to read and think for themselves. 

Bareilly y Jan. <?, 1 8 J I, 
My dear Sister : 

Your letter of June 8th reached me after a 

three months' journey and the one dated August 28th 

has come to-day quite unexpectedly as this is not 

home mail day. Home letters are very welcome no 

matter how often they come. 

I am trying to arrange my work so that I can go to 
Lucknow to attend the Annual Conference on the 
twelfth of this month. 

We are having delightful weather. The roses and 
other flowers are in full bloom and the orange and 
lemon-trees are laden with ripe fruit. 

[51] 



A Glimpse of India 

I have been to the English Church this evening 
and heard an excellent sermon. When I get hungry 
for a sermon I go there, for our services are all in 
Hindustani and I do not yet understand that language. 
Bareilly is a military station with several regiments 
quartered here, and there are also many civilians so 
the chaplain usually has a good congregation. 

The Rev. William Taylor is now in Lucknow. 
You have heard of his marvellous success in Australia 
and Ceylon. He is holding meetings in Lucknow 
which are well attended by the natives. He preaches 
through an interpreter, and has such a simple way of 
explaining the Scriptures that the people seem to 
have little difficulty in comprehending his meaning. 
There have been several conversions. 

Mr. Taylor intends to remain in India two years 
preaching in the different stations, so we shall have 
him here in Bareilly some time. 

Christmas was a very enjoyable day. We did not 
have snow for a sleigh-ride but there was keen sharp air 
and plenty of dust. There was a morning service and 
then came the festivities. I had a number of pres- 
ents from my patients, chiefly trays containing nuts, 
oranges, raisins, pomegranates, native sweetmeats and 
trays with boxes of white grapes. The natives do not, 
of course, observe the day, but they understand that it 
is a holiday with us. Our servants expect presents 

[52] 



First Hot Season 

from us as much as do children in America and it is 
the custom among Europeans in this country to give 
those who serve them new garments or money to use 
as they like. 

There was a Christmas tree in the Orphanage 
schoolroom the evening before and at eleven o'clock 
Christmas morning we had Hindustani service for the 
native Christians and Christmas cards and little books 
were given to the Sunday-school children. 

^January 20th. 

Our Conference in Lucknow on the eighth was a 
season of much interest. Miss Thoburn and I had 
not met during the year and we were glad to be to- 
gether again. We had a good visit, and, of course, 
had an " experience meeting,'' telling each other of 
our trials and troubles just as you and I used to do. 
We had some pleasant things to rehearse as well. 
Rev. Mr. Taylor was at the Conference and gave 
several very inspiring sermons. 

Mrs. Messmore writes me that the work begun by 
him in Lucknow continues. The conversion of a 
leader of the Brahmo Somaj has created great excite- 
ment among his people. He is an educated man and 
has great influence among his sect. Six months ago 
he secured the closing of all the zananas in Lucknow 
against the missionaries and now he is the first to 
[53] 



A Glimpse of India 

open his own to them. The work is chiefly among 
Eurasians, many of whom are educated and speak 
both English and Hindustani which is a great advan- 
tage as they do not have to wait to learn the language 
before they can take up Christian work. 

February 22d. 

Mr. Taylor has spent a week with us and held 
meetings in the Orphanage and the Christian village. 
Several girls in the Orphanage were converted and 
many members of the native church were greatly 
blessed under his preaching. He also had meetings 
in the home of an Eurasian gentleman who, with his 
whole family, was converted. Mr. Taylor is a second 
St. Paul. He says he fully believes in the Pauline 
method of doing the Lord's work, going from house 
to house and gathering the family together and talking 
to them about Jesus^ not Christianity, Methodism or 
any other ism but just telling them what they must do 
to be saved. I could not help thinking as I heard him 
preach and explain the Scriptures what a glorious thing 
it is to be taught of the Spirit and to be a child of 
God. His two years in India will, no doubt, result 
in the salvation of many souls. 

March ipk. 

My work in the city increases in interest. I notice 
quite a desire for improvement, many more of the 
[54] 



First Hot Season 

women being anxious to learn to read and sew and 
some earnestly inquiring about our religion and ask- 
ing me to explain it to them. 

We had a very interesting visit yesterday in one of 
the zananas where there was a young married woman, 
a girl about ten years old, and two quite old women. 
The young woman had been ill for some time and 
two weeks ago she sent for me ; we have become 
quite well acquainted by this time and I ventured to 
ask her about her idols and manner of worship, then 
I told them about the God we worship. It was good 
to see how interested the two old women were as my 
companion explained the way of salvation. One of 
them said, u You speak good words, just what I have 
been longing to hear." 

They seemed quite disappointed when I said to 
them that I should be away for a short time, but I 
told them that Mrs. Sheahy who was with me would 
come to see them and would bring books to read to 
them and would tell them more about our religion. 
Nearly every day we have some interesting visits. 
Mrs. Sheahy who now accompanies me in my visits to 
the city is a European woman who was born and 
educated in India and she understands the language 
and customs of the natives ; she is an earnest Christian 
and a true missionary at heart, so my work is much 
more satisfactory to me since she has been with me. 
[55] 



A Glimpse of India 

April joth. 

It is the custom here for native gentlemen to call on 
foreigners to pay their respects and I have had a 
number of such callers. They do not allow their 
wives to come to see us for they live in seclusion, but 
when we go to their houses the gentleman receives us 
and does the honors. At first the woman sits on a 
mat in a corner while her husband is with us ; she 
keeps her face covered and seems more like a shy 
kitten than a human being, but after a few visits she 
loses some of her shyness and when we are alone sits 
on a chair or stool and uncovers her face and talks 
freely with us. 

I take special pains to tell the husbands about our 
customs, and that I think it a great pity that thev keep 
their wives and daughters in such ignorance, always 
shut up in their houses and never allowed to see the 
beauties of nature. I can see a change in the feelings 
of some of these men, and have persuaded two of 
them whose wives have been mv patients to allow 
their wives to visit me. The poor things were very 
uneasy, everything was so new to them and they were 
so much afraid that some man would make his appear- 
ance. The husbands walked the veranda all the 
while the women were within lest some one should 
come or get a glimpse of the women through the 
blinds, though they were tightly closed. 

[ 56 ] 



First Hot Season 

The women went from one room to another and 
asked questions like little children about everything 
they saw. We took great pains to show them our 
needlework and to explain the pictures and books to 
them. It is quite an accomplishment to be able to 
entertain native ladies nicely. Some of them are 
very simple-hearted and lovely and one feels like 
taking them to one's heart as one would a little child. 
While they have the stature of an adult they really 
seem like children. 

June ioth. 

You will be glad to know that I have an arrange- 
ment which makes my work a little easier because I 
can have some of my cases which need special super- 
vision near me. 

There is a small house in the compound which was 
built some years ago for the native pastor but which 
has not been occupied of late, and Mr. Thomas has 
had it put in good order and has placed it at my dis- 
posal to use for patients who are brought to me from 
out-stations. There are three rooms in it which will 
serve our purpose nicely, and who should come this 
morning to occupy the first room but " Abraham and 
Sarah ! " Abraham is a converted Jew — a merchant 
who on one of his trips from Damascus heard the 
Gospel preached in India and accepted Christianity. 
Sarah, his wife, is the daughter of a native minister 
[57] 



A Glimpse of India 

who was formerly a Hindu idolater. She is ill with 
fever and her husband will remain here with her until 
she recovers. She is a bright young woman and has 
a fairly good education and is doing good work as a 
Bible woman in the village where they live, twelve 
miles from Bareilly. 

I have had several new patients at the mission house 
this morning, some of them interesting cases. This 
is a busy time with us all, and every moment of my 
time seems occupied. 



[58] 



V 
A Visit to the Hills 



Almora, September gth. 
My dear Sister : 

I left Bareilly on the ioth of August for 
Almora and was nearly a week in getting here 
although the distance is only ninety-six miles. I 
came to help care for one of our missionaries who 
came to the mountains in search of health. For a 
time he seemed to improve but about the last of July 
he began to fail and he begged Mrs. Thomas with 
whom he was boarding to send for me thinking that I 
might help him. 

I took one of my servants with me about thirty 
miles then sent him back with my conveyance and 
trusted myself completely to the natives, travelling all 
night in a doli carried by four men at a time, changing 
the men every eight miles. It took three horses and 
thirty-five men to carry me sixty miles. We were 
thirty-one hours getting to the foot of the mountains. 
There I found fresh men sent down from Naini Tal 
by the missionaries with a letter directing me how to 
proceed on my journey. I reached Naini Tal all right 
[59] 



A Gliiiipse of India 

and received a hearty welcome from some of our mis- 
sionary ladies who are spending the season there. 

Naini Tal is 8,500 feet above sea level ; it derives 
its name from the goddess of the lake — Naini — and is 
a favorite summer resort. The scenery is fine. The 
trees are covered with ferns and mosses of every shade 
of green. It is said that there are one hundred and 
twenty varieties of ferns growing in the station. I 
was detained two days by the heavy rain but was at 
last able to move on, this time in quite another style 
of conveyance. It resembles a chair with a canopy 
and has a pole on each side with a sort of harness at 
each end which goes across the shoulders of the men 
who carry it. Four men carry it at a time, and be- 
sides these carriers I had a man to carry my trunk on 
his back, another with my roll of bedding on his head, 
and a third carrying a satchel, while a servant whom 
Mrs. Thomas had sent to escort me walked beside my 
conveyance. 

I could not help laughing as I looked at my caravan 
though it was no laughing matter to set off in this way 
for a journey of twenty-four miles through the moun- 
tains. Some of the ladies thought it very brave of 
me to start off alone but I had no particular fear as I 
knew that other ladies had taken the journey alone 
with perfect safety. 

The first day we marched twelve miles and reached 

[60] 



A Visit to the Hills 

the Government Rest-House just at evening. It is a 
lone bungalow standing on a hill with a dozen native 
huts near it. The men had arrived before me and had 
made a fire in one of the rooms and spread my bedding 
out to dry, and presently the cook came in with a roasted 
chicken and hot potatoes, so with the lunch which 
one of the ladies had given me I fared sumptuously. 

I tried to shake off all fear and enjoy the mountain 
scenery around me but I could not forget how power- 
less I was with not a white person within miles and 
not even a Christian native near me so far as I knew. 
After dismissing the servants for the night I commit- 
ted myself to the tender Shepherd who watches His 
flock by day and by night and lay down, not to sleep 
but to think. Such a feeling of desolation I never be- 
fore experienced. The first dawn of the morning 
was heartily welcomed and I was not long in making 
myself ready for another day's journey. At seven 
o'clock we started on our way travelling through such 
beautiful mountain scenery that my delight quite over- 
came my fear. 

We did not meet with any adventures, except that 
a cow which had travelled some distance just ahead of 
us fell over the precipice and went rolling and tum- 
bling down until she reached the bottom. We were 
some distance from her when she fell and supposed 
she would be killed but to our surprise she got upon 
[61] 



A Glimpse of India 

her feet and looked up at us most wistfully. The 
men were greatly pleased and said much in her praise. 
They consider the cow a sacred animal and pay her 
great respect. 

We reached the second rest-house at noon and 
found that two of Mrs. Thomas' servants had been 
sent to meet me with a lunch. They said that fresh 
men would meet me at different points and that if we 
hurried we could reach Almora before night, so after 
a short rest we again set out. 

I found Mr. Elliot prostrated and too far gone to 
need much medical assistance. He lived only two 
weeks after I came. He was a young man of consid- 
erable talent and was beloved by all the missionaries. 
Two years ago he came out to India for his health 
and was so much benefited by the sea voyage that 
when he reached Calcutta he was, to all appearance, 
well. In Lucknow he met our missionaries and be- 
came interested in the work and joined the mission, 
doing good service until the beginning of the hot 
season when he began to lose his appetite and grew 
weak every day. Later he was out in a heavy rain 
and took cold which settled on his lungs and ended 
in quick consumption. He is buried in a quiet little 
cemetery near the mission houses. 

Almora is entirely surrounded by mountains, not a 
spot of level ground in sight onlv as it has been made 
[62] 



A Visit to the Hills 

so. Most of the mountains are treeless and are ter- 
raced from summit to base. These narrow terraces 
are cultivated and wheat, rice and other grains and 
some vegetables are grown. The mountains look like 
great walled staircases with here and there a little hut 
nestling upon them. 

We get a fine view of the Snowy Range from here 
which looks near but is a hundred or more miles away. 
I wish I could give you a description that would 
cause you to see them. Imagine, if you can, a dozen 
or more mountains of silver reaching nearly to the 
heavens, piercing the gold and crimson clouds of an 
Eastern sky, and glistening in the rays of the sun j 
some are cone-shaped and some pyramidal in shape. 
The Hindus bow down and worship them when they 
come in sight of them, and indeed I do not wonder at 
it. The first good view I had of them my admiration 
amounted almost to worship. 

The hill people are much stronger and more active 
than the people of the plains, and they live more com- 
fortably. Their houses are built of stone and many 
have little gardens which gives them a homelike ap- 
pearance. The women do not live in seclusion. The 
state of society in India is such that zanana life 
seems preferable for respectable native women. It is 
really not safe for them to go out alone. 

The London Mission occupies Almora as a mis- 

[63] 



A Glimpse of India 

sion station. Their missionary, the Rev. Mr. Budden, 
has been here thirty years. He has a small native 
church, a boys' school and a " Leper Asylum," and 
his eldest daughter has an orphanage for girls, a 
number of whom are children of lepers. Many of 
them are bright children but they bear the marks of the 
disease. 

From the doorway where I am writing I see men 
and women coming to the little temple below us to 
worship. It is the temple of the god Siva, the 
Destroyer. The poor creatures seem very earnest in 
their devotions. I will enclose a silver fern which I 
picked from the walls of this ancient temple. 

We have had many pleasant rambles over these 
mountains, have been to the top of Simtola, Haridunga 
and Kala Mitti. This last name means " black 
earth," and Haridunga means " the diamond moun- 
tain." We had a search for diamonds there and on 
Simtola and found some fine specimens of clear 
crystal quartz but are not so sure about the dia- 
monds. 

We leave here on the twelfth for Naini Tal on our 
way to the plains. There are five of us and we shall 
need sixty men to carry us and our luggage. We 
will march five miles and then camp for the night. 
We are anticipating a pleasant journey, travelling 
slowly and gathering ferns and flowers and picnicking 

[64] 



A Visit to the Hills 

by the way. We have each a large book made of 
blotting-paper for pressing our ferns. 

I feel anxious to get back to Bareilly for I did not 
expect to be away more than three weeks. My girls 
write me that they are doing well and everything goes 
on nicely. They visit my patients with my inter- 
preter, who is a woman sixty years of age, and she 
takes great care of them. 

Bareilly, Sept. 20th, 
Home again in Bareilly and busy as usual. As our 
work increases our needs increase also, and I feel 
that I must have a hospital and dispensary. The 
most convenient and suitable place adjoins our mis- 
sion premises and is owned by the Nawab of Ram- 
pore, a Mohammedan prince, but it will hardly be 
possible to purchase this property as, I am told, a 
Mohammedan ruler never sells landed property that 
belongs to his inheritance. 

Mr. Drummond, the Commissioner of Bareilly, is 
much interested in our medical work and has been 
looking around to see if a suitable place is available 
and has finally suggested that we make a personal re- 
quest to the Nawab respecting this property which 
adjoins ours. 

Mr. Drummond has learned that the prime minister 
of the Nawab will soon come to Bareilly on business 

[65] 



A Glimpse of India 

and he says he will speak to him about the property 
and find out from him if he thinks we might present 
a request for the purchase of the property. If we 
could secure one acre of this land it would meet our 
need. 

Twenty-seventh, 

We are informed to-day through the prime minister 
that the Nawab invites us to visit his city and that he 
will arrange for our journey to Rampore if we will 
notify him what day we would like to come. This 
looks favorable, for the Nawab knows our object in 
wishing to see him. 

October 8th, 

On the morning of October 3d our party, con- 
sisting of Mr. and Mrs. Thomas, myself, and a native 
Christian gentleman, a convert from Mohammedanism, 
who understands royal etiquette, set out on this impor- 
tant business, having previously notified the prime min- 
ister of our intention. He had made all arrangements 
for us. A fine carriage, with coachman, two grooms 
and outriders and twenty-four horses were supposed to 
be necessary to convey us into the domains of Eastern 
royalty. The horses were changed every six miles, 
four doing duty at once, and as we approached the 
city three cavalrymen met us to escort us to our stop- 
ping-place which was a house just outside the city 
kept by the Nawab for European visitors and travel- 
[66] 



A Visit to the Hills 

lers. Breakfast was awaiting us and servants stood 
ready to give any needed assistance. 

Mr. and Mrs. Parker of our mission had come from 
Moradabad to meet us, arriving some time before we 
did. Our breakfast consisted of twenty-four differ- 
ent dishes to which we did ample justice, our iong 
drive having given us good appetites. Our surround- 
ings, the expression of our hopes and fears, and above 
all, our faith and confidence in Him who has assured 
us that He will withhold no good thing from those 
who trust in Him made the hour at table one long to 
be remembered. After breakfast we knelt in prayer, 
asking our Father who had opened our way thus far 
to still be our Leader, and not only grant what 
seemed so necessary for our work but to remember 
this earthly prince and his people who were at that 
hour engaged in the worship of their own faith. 

When the Nawab received news of our arrival he 
sent a messenger to say that he would not be able to see 
us that day as he was specially engaged in his prayers. 
For our entertainment he sent two music-boxes, and 
some trained athletes who performed some wonderful 
feats. Then came a play, a burlesque on English 
officials, which not only showed their power of 
imitation but their keen appreciation of the foibles and 
defects of others. 

After dinner two carriages were sent to take us for 

[67] 



A Glimpse of India 

an evening drive to a country palace where the 
Nawab spends a part of his time during the hot 
months. Just in front of the palace is a beautiful 
tank of clear, fresh water. This to me, with the fine 
trees and beautiful garden was more attractive than 
the palace itself. 

The next morning early the carriages were sent 
for us and we were driven to several palaces and 
gardens before reaching the royal palace. As we 
entered the gates five royal elephants, gaily capari- 
soned, saluted by lifting their trunks and touching 
their foreheads. We were escorted into the presence 
of the Nawab, who arose and greeted us cordially and 
assigning us seats entered into friendly conversation. 
After a few minutes the prime minister advanced to 
His Highness and spoke in a low tone and he signi- 
fied his assent to the words, upon which the prime 
minister turned to Mr. Thomas, saying that the 
Nawab would listen to his request. 

Mr. Thomas said that he wished to procure, on 
some terms, a portion of the estate belonging to His 
Highness which adjoined our mission premises in 
Bareilly, for the purpose of establishing a hospital for 
women and children. Before he had time to finish 
his speech the Nawab said, " Take it, take it. I give 
it with pleasure for such a purpose." 

We were unprepared for so generous a gift — forty 
[68] 



A Visit to the Hills 

acres and a house — and were not a little surprised at 
the Nawab's immediate and hearty reception of our 
request, and we accepted the gift with gratitude not 
to this prince alone, but to the King of the Universe, 
who, we believe, put it into his heart to give it to us. 

Our interview with the Nawab was a short one. 
Soon after the matter of business was over he arose, 
bowed to us, and left the room. The prime minister 
showed us some of the apartments of the palace, 
which were beautifully and tastefully furnished and 
arranged, but to our regret we were not invited into 
the women's apartments. 

December 22d. 

You can, perhaps, imagine the joy and gratitude of 
our missionaries when they heard of the generous gift 
of the Nawab, forty acres when we had hardly dared 
hope to be able to purchase one. Some of the native 
gentlemen of the city were very much pleased, too, 
and promised assistance, so I resolved to circulate a 
paper stating our plans and asking for contributions, 
and I shall be able to report to Conference that I have 
seven hundred rupees subscribed from native people. 

The house on the estate is old but well built and 
needed some repairs to make it suitable to live in. 
The Nawab expected us to use this for a hospital, 
but the style is unsuitable for native ladies with their 
ideas of seclusion, so we have decided to use it as a 

[69] 



A Glimpse of India 

home for single missionary ladies and their assistants 
and to build a hospital more on the plan of a native 
house. Our repairs are nearly completed and we 
hope to take possession of our new home soon. 

'January 22, i8j2. 
My report of the work of the year past and the 
good news of the success of our undertaking in the 
matter of the hospital encouraged the ladies of our 
Conference to estimate for the amount necessary to 
begin our buildings, feeling sure that the Society in 
America would respond to our request for the money. 
The Building Committee sanctioned the plan which I 
laid before them — a plan which, with the assistance 
of a native architect, I had worked out as suitable for 
the use intended. Materials for the dispensary are 
being negotiated for, and we shall begin to build as 
soon as possible. It will contain six rooms — a clinic 
room where patients will be received and prescribed 
for, an operating room back of it, an office in the 
right wing, a room on the opposite wing designed for 
a lecture room when I have another medical class, 
and two small bath rooms. This plan seems to me 
quite complete and suitable for the purpose for which 
it is designed. 



[703 



VI 

Busy Days 



Bareilly, India y March j, 1872. 
My dear Dr. Greene : 

I am writing in our new house, " The King's 
Palace," as Dr. Butler calls it. Miss Sparkes and I 
moved in on the 1st of January and were nicely 
settled before Conference, which was held this year 
at Moradabad. 

Mrs. H , one of our missionaries, came here 

on the 15th of January from Budaon, and her baby, a 
nice plump boy, arrived on the thirtieth of the same 
month. The dear little baby was baptized in our 
drawing-room this evening. The missionaries living 
here in the station, and a few native Christians were 
present and it was a deeply interesting occasion. After 
the baptism we had tea together, then Mr. Judd gave 
a short exhortation and prayed for each one of us and 
for the great work in which we are engaged. Mr. 
Judd and his wife take the charge of the Orphanage 
this year and Miss Sparkes conducts the educational 
department. 

The Lord was with us at the Conference. All the 
missionaries seemed thirsting for a deeper experience 

[71] 



A Glimpse of India 

and many were blessed and returned to their work 
with greater love for it and for the salvation of souls. 
We are having good meetings here and a few have 
professed conversion. 

I have received such a good letter from a Bengali 
gentleman whose home is in Bareilly. He went to 
Calcutta on sick leave for a few weeks and left his 
family in my care during his absence. He had twice 
come to us in great distress of mind and asked us to 
pray for him, but he was not willing to acknowledge 
Christ as the Son of God and Saviour of the world. 
Just before he went away he called and asked me for 
a history of the Christian Church. He said he would 
take with him the Bible that I had previously given 
him and would read it daily. He writes that he is 
now reconciled to God, that the society of Brahmans 
and Hindus and his conversations brought him no re- 
lief and he turned to the Word of God. 

His wife has been convinced of the truth for many 
months. I carried her husband's letter to her and ex- 
plained it and asked her if she was willing to follow 
her husband. The tears filled her eyes as she said, 
" I do not like to leave my mother, I am her only 
child." Turning to the mother, who is a widow, I 
asked, " Are you not willing to become a Christian, 
too, and all walk together ? You believe that your idol- 
worship will save you, but the religion of Christ will 

[72] 



Busy Days 

certainly be sufficient for you." She has been a very 
devout Hindu, fasting, worshipping, and denying her- 
self as is required of widows. Her remarkable faith 
and earnestness have led me to respect and admire her, 
and I have often felt that both she and her daughter 
would make excellent Christians. The mother waited 
a moment, then said, " If Christianity is good for my 
daughter and her husband it is good for me and where 
they go, I will go." The women have promised to 
come to us to-day for instruction. 

How this pays for coming to India ! It is better 
than the world or friends can give. 

March jtb. 
My dear Sister : 

I spend two to three hours every day with my 
class which I intend to present for examination as 
fourth grade doctors. I hope to keep them, or some 
of them, at least, after they graduate, as I feel that they 
should have some experience of hospital practice be- 
fore they go out to take up work by themselves. 

A theological school for native students is to be 
opened here the ist of April and several of my girls 
will marry native preachers who will come here to 
study, so I shall still have them under my supervision. 

We expect to have an artist here this month and I 
will have a picture taken of our house and grounds. 
[73] 



A Glimpse of India 

As you cannot come here I will send you a copy. { 
must not forget to tell you that I met Miss Thoburn 
at Conference in January and had a good visit with her. 
She is one of the choice spirits. 

May 6th. 

Thirteen of my medical class passed their final ex- 
amination on the ioth of April in the presence of two 
civil surgeons of the station and Rev. Dr. Johnson of 
our mission. Thev were granted certificates for prac- 
tice in all ordinary diseases. Eleven of them have 
since married and left the Orphanage. One has gone 
to Moradabad to practice medicine and one to Almora 
where her husband has charge of the commissariat de- 
partment in the leper colony ; five of them remain here 
as their husbands are students in the theological school. 

Rebecca, one of Dr. Humphrey's medical class who 
came to me at the close of the rainy season last year, 
is now my assistant in the dispensary. 

I enclose photos of mv home and of my class. I 
am sure you will like the house \ it is a real Oriental 
house such as the Rajahs and Nawabs live in but 
quite unlike the houses of natives in general which are 
generally enclosed by high walls. The people stand- 
ing in front of the house and on the veranda are the 
members of my class, and the servants of the house- 
hold. If vou look very closely you will see the old 
[74] 



Busy Days 

water-carrier with his great leather bag. All the 
water that we use is brought in this goatskin bag. 
How would you like to drink water from it ? I was 
quite disgusted at first but do not stop to think about 
it now. 

Miss Sparkes and I occupy the upper part of the 
house and at present I am using one of the rooms as a 
dispensary. Some of our native helpers live in the 
basement rooms which are verv comfortable. 

Now that our dispensary building is actually under 
wav I feel quite content to put up with inconve- 
niences for I have the assurance of better things in the 
future. The Rev. Air. Judd is overseeing the work- 
men and as he is a good manager the work is going 
on well. There is quite a little army of men, women 
and children, all verv busy, in their own estimation, 
though I can see from mv window that now and then 
some of them linger over their loads or sit down be- 
hind a pile of boards to take a whiff from the huqqa. 
They call their ^^^-smoking taking a drink from 
the pipe. 

June io, 1872. 

AIy dear M : 

Do you realize that I am on mv third year in 
India? How quicklv the time has passed ! 

The weather has been very hot for six weeks past, 
hotter than I have known it since I have been here. 

[75] 



A Glimpse of India 

We shall welcome the rainy season and are looking 
longingly for it. The rains usually begin about the 
middle of June, but are sometimes delayed. 

My patients sometimes send me food and sweet- 
meats such as they like themselves, and a native lady 
has just sent me a jar of mangoes pickled in mustard 
oil, some mango preserves and a variety of food and 
sweets. Another native friend lately sent me a milch 
buffalo, which are very common here, the milk used 
the same as cow's milk. I already had a cow which 
had been sent me by an old patient, and I had also 
bought one so we have quite a dairy. The cream is 
churned in a bottle and worked over with a spoon and 
we get very good butter. 

We continue our social visits at the homes of many 
of our former patients who, though not needing medical 
aid, are still anxious to see us occasionally. These 
visits are always pleasant to us and we trust are profit- 
able to them. They ask many questions about our 
mode of living and we listen to their talk about their 
family affairs, then we read to them from the Bible or 
some religious book and sing and explain the hymns. 
They listen attentively, though we are sometimes in- 
clined to feel impatient at their slowness in receiving 
the truth. But when we stop to think how deeply 
enshrouded their minds are in darkness and supersti- 
tion we are led to work and pray more earnestly for 

[76] 



Busy Days 

their salvation, asking our Father that in His own 
good time many of these people may be brought into 
His marvellous light and be witnesses for Him. 

December 2 2d. 

Miss Sparkes and I give the Christmas dinner this 
year. You know that there are three missionary 
families here, the Scotts, the Judds and ourselves, 
and it has been the custom to have the Christmas 
dinner together and to have it as homelike as possible. 

One of my native patients has sent me two fine 
turkeys and a Mohammedan friend has sent three 
chickens for our Bar a Din (Great Day) as they call 
our Christmas. In addition to our poultry there will 
be for our dinner, peas, lettuce, cauliflower and other 
vegetables from our garden, and plenty of delicious 
golden oranges ; our trees are loaded with them. 

The garden is at its best or approaching it. There 
are three men at work in it all the time. The Mali or 
head gardener gets two dollars and a half, and the other 
two one dollar and seventy-five cents each a month. 
Of course they take fruit and vegetables for their own 
use and probably some to sell but we cannot help that. 
There were some fine fruit trees on the estate and we 
are getting custard apples, and guavas, too, this season. 

This is a most delightful country to live in after one 
gets used to it. For six months after the rainy 
[77] 



A Glimpse of India 

season is over the weather is all that could be desired. 
We are just beginning to have a fire in the grate in 
the drawing-room as the evenings are chilly, but it is 
warm enough without fires during the day, and the 
sunshine is so brilliant that it is positively painful to the 
eyes. 

My dispensary building is going up gradually. 
Mr. Judd has made over the whole business to me and 
I enjoy directing about the work. The building will 
be convenient and a real blessing, I am sure. Three 
native ladies are anxious to come to me as patients as 
soon as there is a place ready for them. The hospital 
buildings will be begun soon after Conference, which 
will meet here in Bareilly on the sixteenth of next 
month. We shall entertain all the ladies of the 
Woman's Foreign Missionary Society and two mis- 
sionary families besides, if they would rather be in our 
house than to live in tents. We all look forward to 
the Conference with great pleasure ; it is usually the 
only time during the year that we meet the mission- 
aries from other stations. 

June 8, l8 73 . 
My dear Sister : 

The dispensary building was completed early 
last month and formally opened on the tenth of the 
month. The friends who have visited it are much 
[78] 




s 



Busy Days 

pleased with the arrangements and congratulate me on 
having so desirable a place to receive patients. 

The dispensary opens for work at six o'clock every 
morning except Sunday, and some mornings we have 
as many as sixty patients. We have cards on which 
the prescriptions are written and numbered and these 
cards are printed in three different characters, Hindi, 
Persian and Roman-Urdu, and on the back of each is 
a text of Scripture so that every new patient receives 
with her prescription a portion of the Word of Life. 
She may not be able to read it but possibly some one 
of her family can read it for her. This is one of the 
very simple methods of circulating the Word of God 
in the families of those who come to us, and by His 
blessing it may be the means of bringing someone into 
the truth. A passage of Scripture on a card given to 
a patient is often the subject of our morning lesson for 
all who come and are willing to listen a while until 
their prescriptions are ready for them. 

Two of my medical class are valuable assistants in 
the dispensary, Emma, who married one of the 
students in the theological school, and Jane Paul, so 
with my faithful Rebecca at the head everything goes 
smoothly. 

The hospital buildings will probably be completed 
this year. Much care has been taken in the arrange- 
ment of them that the taste and convenience of native 
[79] 



Arrival in India 

ladies may be suited and their seclusion, according to 
their custom, be ensured. Our plan was to build just 
what we needed and no more and we have followed 
native ideas as far as possible, so that patients may feel 
perfectly at home and be enabled to carry on their 
plan of cooking and living the same as in their own 
houses. The plan is much like that of an Eastern 
Sarai or inn onlv with more of a view to home com- 
fort. A piece of ground two hundred and fifty feet 
by one hundred and seventy-five is enclosed by a wall 
eight feet high ; at the front of this stands the 
dispensary buildings. The front entrance is from the 
general compound and the back veranda opens into 
the hospital grounds, thus making the dispensary a 
part of the general plan. At the right of the dispen- 
sary within the enclosure is a row of dormitories one 
story high, extending nearly the whole length of the 
wall, and across the end, opposite the dispensary is 
another row, more commodious, designed for patients 
requiring larger rooms. Dormitories will be built on 
the other side of the enclosure when needed. A front 
veranda extends the whole length of the dormitories, 
and another at the back will serve as kitchens as there 
are partitions arranged so that the occupants of each 
room can cook their food outside their living room. 
The rooms are twelve by fourteen feet. In the centre 
of the enclosure is a fine large well where each 
[So] 



Bitsy Days 

modern Rebecca who comes to us can draw water 
for herself, with her own bucket and rope as is the 
custom of people of caste in India. The grounds are 
tastefully laid out and in due time will be beautified 
with some of India's lovely roses, flowers and shrub- 
bery. 

December 23, 1873. 
My dear Sister : 

Perhaps I told you that, at the beginning of 
the year, I had employed two native Christian women 
as Bible women and teachers. They have each taught 
regularly in nine different families visiting them three 
times a week and teaching them to read, sew and knit. 
It is not always an easy matter to persuade a Hindu 
woman to learn to read ; they say that their religious 
books forbid it, teaching them that some great calam- 
ity will come upon them if they learn to read. We 
tried to persuade one of my patients after her recovery 
to allow us to teach her to read, but she was unwilling, 
saving, " When I was quite young I began to learn to 
read and after a few davs mv brother died. Our priest 
and all our friends said that it was because I was learn- 
ing to read, so I stopped and have never dared to be- 
gin again." We told her of several Hindu families 
where the women are reading and no harm came to 
them, but she still hesitated though she begged us to 
continue our visits and to " come very often." I told 

[81] 



A Glimpse of India 

her that would not be possible as we wished to go to 
those who wish to learn and improve themselves ; that 
we come to this country to do her people good and 
that I want, as far as I can when not attending the 
sick, to teach them about our religion which is a relig- 
ion of love. I told her that one of our teachers would 
come to her three times a week if she wished to learn 
and that Mrs. Sheahy and I would come to see her as 
often as we could. She thought a moment and said 
she would see about it. 

A few days later as I was passing her house on my 
way to a patient I called in to see her and was warmly 
welcomed. She said she was intending to send for us 
that very day, as she was in great trouble and wanted 
me to do something for her. She had been crying 
and was very sad. When I asked her about her 
trouble she said, " I am ashamed to tell you that my 
husband is making arrangements to take another wife. 
I thought if you knew about it you could go to the 
magistrate and ask him to forbid my husband to take 
another wife, for we are very poor." 

I explained that I could not do that, but I promised 
to talk with her husband and ask him to wait a while 
before bringing another woman into the home, and I 
said, " If you will consent to learn we will come 
often to see you and bring you books to read, and you 
will learn to keep your house more tidy ; when your 
[82] 



Busy Days 

husband finds that you know something and can talk 
with him when he comes home about what you have 
learned I am sure he will be pleased and perhaps he 
will care more for you and will give up taking another 
wife.' , 

With more spirit than I had ever seen her manifest 
she exclaimed, " I will learn. When will you send 
Eliza to teach me ? " She nevermore needed urging 
but was always ready with her book and quite astonished 
us by her quickness in learning to read and in her 
efforts to improve the appearance of her house. Her 
husband also became quite interested and assisted her 
in having the walls of the house and court white- 
washed and the floor laid with brick. He gave up 
the idea of taking another wife and seems quite con- 
tent with his present family. 

Mrs. Sheahy has had the supervision of the Bible 
women during the year and every month she visits 
each family under instruction and directs the Bible 
women in regard to their teaching and their course of 
reading among the women. She also holds meetings 
with the women on the Sabbath and finds some inter- 
ested hearers. And so the work goes on. 



[83] 



VII 

General Work 



Bareilly^ Jan. <?p, 18J4.. 
My dear Sister : 

I have three of my medical class with me as 
Bible women this year, Nellie Bain, who married 
William Peters, Libbie Husk, now Libbie Joel, and 
Harriet Richardson, the wife of Joshua Soule. The 
courtship of the latter was unique. Mr. Soule in- 
formed Miss Sparkes, who has charge of the Orphan- 
age, that he wanted an educated wife but he did not 
want a dark woman. It happened that a few of the 
older girls were together in the compound and Miss 
Sparkes indicated to him one or two whose marriage 
arrangement had not been made, but none of them 
seemed attractive to him. Just then Harriet came 
across the compound and joined the group. " There," 
exclaimed Soule, "that is the girl that I will marry." 
Miss Sparkes told him the girl's name and her attain- 
ments which was quite satisfactory to the suitor, and 
he left after being told that he could come in the after- 
noon for his answer. Harriet was informed that Mr. 
Soule wished to marry her and she consented to meet 
him and that afternoon the two were introduced to 

[84] 



General Work 

each other in Miss Sparkes' office and an engagement 
was effected. 

As the husbands of these three young women are 
students in the theological school they will probably 
remain with me for a year or two and I shall be able 
to give them needed help in their medical work and 
arrange for them a course of instruction in books 
calculated to give them more enlarged views and ideas 
in regard to their work and influence among their 
hearers. 

Another of my girls, Jane Paul, was lately married 
to the son of one of our oldest preachers, William 
Plomer. Jane's husband is a clerk in a government 
office and is an active Christian, and Jane is assisting 
in the medical work in Moradabad where they now 
live. 

Sarah Mead, too, married and is now Sarah Odell ; 
she has been appointed medical Bible woman in Pauri 
where her husband is the native doctor. They have 
a small dispensary and Sarah is using her medical 
knowledge to advantage. Almira Blake, who was 
the first girl received into the Bareilly Orphanage, was 
appointed to the Orphanage in Pauri, and as matron 
will have just the work her heart delights in, the care 
of little ones. 

In one of my letters I told you of a woman who 
consented to learn to read in order to make herself 
[35] 



A Glimpse of India 

more agreeable to her husband who was planning to 
take a second wife. She has improved very much in 
her reading and is now studying the Old Testament 
in Hindu. She reads a chapter over several times and 
when the Bible woman visits her she asks her to 
explain anything that she does not understand. She 
said to me one day, " Before I began to learn I used 
to go from house to house to hear my neighbors talk 
and tell stories, and see their jewels, but now I have 
no time for that. I hurry to get my work done, and 
if any of the neighbors come in to talk and tell stories 
I feel impatient for them to go. The stories in my 
book are better than any they can tell." 

At our request she invites the women and children 
of the neighborhood once a week to her house and we 
have a meeting with them. She and her daughter had 
learned to sing many of our hymns and to repeat the 
Lord's Prayer in Hindustani and they are quite a help 
in these little gatherings. 

Her home shows the change in her mental condi- 
tion. Formerly it was very untidy, deplorably so, but 
now everything is clean and in order and it is a pleas- 
ure to visit her. Her husband is an educated man, 
but he had never thought his wife capable of anything 
beyond cooking and attending to his wants, but now 
that he sees the improvement in her he seems quite 
proud and fond of her. 

[86] 



General Work 

'June ioth. 



My dear M : 

You have been so much interested in my work 
and my plans for the hospital that I am sure you will 
rejoice with me over its completion. It was ready for 
occupancy on the ist of January, and it was with glad 
hearts that we received our first indoor patients, some 
of whom had been waiting for us to let them know 
that we could accommodate them. Soon we had many 
of our rooms occupied by Hindus, Mohammedans 
and native Christians, all having their own separate 
apartments. It would amuse you to look in upon us. 
A patient seldom comes alone to the hospital. A 
poor woman brings her children and sometimes her 
mother-in-law or a widowed sister who may be living 
with her. It would be considered a disgrace for a 
high-caste woman to come alone so her husband 
accompanies her, and oftentimes they bring not only 
their family and several servants, but a yoke of oxen, 
a horse and conveyance, a goat, their food and cook- 
ing utensils and their furniture. We are not always 
particular to limit the number of persons who accom- 
pany the patient, providing there is room, and that they 
are willing to abide by our rules, for we hope to do 
them good in a social and friendly way. They are no 
expense to us in the way of food, for their caste 
would not allow them to take food from our hands. 
[37] 



A Glimpse of India 

The benefit of a zanana dispensary and hospital is 
readily apparent. Women who would suffer in silence 
rather than have a native doctor called to them, even 
though he did not look upon their face, are glad to 
come to be treated by a lady doctor. A motley col- 
lection of conveyances may be seen in front of the 
dispensary almost any morning. Bullock carts in 
which a whole family has come ; ekkas or pony carts, 
carefully covered with a cotton covering ; a more pre- 
tentious rath with beautiful white oxen, from some 
one of the better homes of the city ; a palanquin or 
two, and the little dolies, which are simple string cots 
so small that it is a puzzle to imagine how a woman 
can sit in it though, truth to tell, I have seen not only 
a woman emerge from one but two or three children 
besides. There are other women who come on foot, 
sometimes leading a very old or perhaps a blind per- 
son. Such a contrast the most of these people are to 
our neatly-clad, white-robed Christian women and the 
Orphanage girls in their gingham skirts and white 
chadars. The Hindu and Mohammedan women 
wear the chadars or mantle, too. Perhaps I have 
told you that it is a sheet worn over the head and 
thrown up over one shoulder. The women pull 
it closely over the face and are very particular not 
to expose their features to the gaze of men. A 
bride on going to her husband's home does not un- 
[88] 



General Work 

cover her face before her mother-in-law until she is 
told to do so. 

At first we find it a little difficult to persuade the 
women to let us examine them, even to get at their 
pulse or to see their tongue, but this reluctance soon 
wears off, and some of the women now in the hospital 
have lost a good deal of their shyness and meet us 
freely. It is so also in the zananas that we visit; old 
and young sit down together and listen to the 
teaching and ask questions, apparently without con- 
straint. 

We still have a great many calls to patients in the 
city and adjacent villages, and my medical Bible women 
have many opportunities to practice what they have 
learned. They appreciate this, as it is giving them 
excellent preparation for the work which will come 
to them when they go with their husbands to their 
appointed fields of labor. 

People in moderate circumstances sometimes offer 
me a fee for each visit, — a dollar or half a dollar — but 
many are not really able to give money ; they would, 
I think, if their means would allow. It is sometimes 
pathetic to see how desirous they are to show their 
gratitude, sometimes offering a few native sweets on 
a leaf, probably costing less than a cent, sometimes a 
few oranges or guavas which really cost them next to 
nothing. A few times I have received an adequate 

[89] 



A Glimpse of India 

fee for one visit but nothing for subsequent visits, 
though the patient may require medical services for 
weeks, the husband evidently thinking that one gold 
mohur^ equal to eight dollars, ought to bring his wife 
back to health. All fees received are used to buy 
medicines and defray expenses for medical work. 

Natives are very fond of their money and do not 
part with it easily, but I have heard that native princes 
have given large sums for a surgical operation or when 
a favorite member of the household has recovered from 
an illness. 

The Hakims or native doctors are shrewd enough 
to get pay for their services. A hakim will agree 
to cure a patient for a certain sum ; if he is a little 
doubtful as to the result he requires payment in ad- 
vance, but if the patient does not recover he will not 
refund the money; of course his reputation suffers 
somewhat, for the injured family are eloquent in pro- 
claiming their wrongs. 

September nth. 

I have a visit of several days in Lucknow every 
month lately. Miss Monelle, M. D., who was ap- 
pointed to Lucknow, received a call to Hyderabad, 
which she accepted, and as there was no one to carry 
on the medical work which she had begun I was re- 
quested to take the supervision, so I go to the zananas 
and visit the sick and prescribe for those who are 

[9°] 



General Work 

brought to me at the mission house. I find many 
who need my services and am glad to do what I can 
for them. One of my medical students lives in Luck- 
now and she looks after my patients in my absence. 
How my heart rejoices over these young women who 
are taking up this work ! Nearly all of my class are 
active workers, combining their medical knowledge 
with their Christian work among the homes of the 
people they visit. 

Susan Hamilton, one of the class, has written of 
her experience in the first place she went to after her 
marriage. She was a good student, quick to learn 
and so thorough that she would never leave any point 
until she thoroughly understood it. Overflowing with 
good nature, she was one to make her way anywhere, 
and we were interested to know what her experience 
of life would be. 

Her husband was appointed to Khera Bajhera and 
Susan began at once to visit in the zananas where 
work had already been opened, and she found her 
medical knowledge and skill a great help in opening 
other homes. A great many came to her, also, and 
she had many opportunities to give physical relief and 
spiritual comfort. But poor Susan had her trial. A 
leading Hindu, who had been loyal to the government 
during the mutiny, received many favors from indi- 
viduals as well as the government and this aroused a 
[9i] 



A Glimpse of India 

feeling of jealousy and he had many enemies among 
the people of the place, so when he fell ill he dis- 
trusted every one and would take no medicine, fear- 
ing that the native doctor might be bribed to give him 
poison. Charms and enchantments failed and in de- 
spair of saving his life his friends sent to Susan for 
medicine. She sent him a dose of quinine, but it was 
too late to help him and he died. Of course the ene- 
mies of the mission took advantage of this to cry out 
that the Christian woman had poisoned him, and they 
succeeded in turning the poor widow against Susan, 
who had been quite a favorite with her, and so bitter 
were her feelings that she ordered the girls' school 
which her husband had supported, and which Susan 
visited, closed against her, so that for a time the work 
was stopped. The widow's rancor subsided after a 
time and the school was opened, and the native pastor's 
wife gained an entrance to the home but she declined 
to see Susan, saying that she had not been careful to 
give the proper medicine. This was discouraging for 
the unoffending woman, but she is hopeful that the 
way will yet open for successful work. 

December 29th. 
Looking back over the year's work I find that I 
have fifty new families on my list, some of whom had 
never been visited by a Christian woman. There 

[92] 



General Work 

were some among them who were willing to be taught 
and my four Bible women and Mrs. Sheahy have had 
a busy year. The work is among all castes, rich and 
poor. Sometimes the young women meet with great 
opposition from their mothers-in-law who fear the 
result of Christian teaching, but the Bible women 
usually succeed in overcoming all prejudice and retain 
their pupils. In some instances the older women who 
opposed the introduction of new ideas into the home 
become the most interested listeners to the reading and 
exposition of the Scriptures. 

We have held meetings on the Sabbath in the home 
of one of our pupils for all in the neighborhood who 
were willing to come and have sometimes had a good 
audience. They were generally respectful and at- 
tentive during the Bible reading and prayer, but oc- 
casionally some old woman would steal quietly away 
while we were praying, fearing that if she listened she 
might in some way be made a Christian against her 
will. 

A few of the families pay for the books which we 
furnish them and also pay a small sum toward the 
teacher's salary. We require all who are able to pay 
for their books for then they are taken care of. 

There is not much variety in our work from year 
to year, as you see, yet after all we do see some im- 
provement and are encouraged to believe that some of 
[93] 



A Glimpse of India 

the good seed sown is taking root. We cannot won- 
der that the work is slow when we reflect that for 
two thousand years and more this people has been 
following in the footsteps of their ancestors without 
improvement either in art or science. It is a matter 
of rejoicing that some men are becoming enlightened 
enough to really wish to have their households taught, 
though certainly the most of them would prefer to 
have the religious part of the teaching left out. But 
that, of course, cannot be. 

February 10, i8jj. 

My dear M : 

Since receiving your letter I have visited the 
famous Taj Mahal in Agra. Dr. and Mrs. Hum- 
phrey spent a few weeks with us here in Bareillv be- 
fore leaving for America and as they were intending 
to visit Agra on their wav to Bombay they urged me 
to accompany them which I was very glad to do. 

We arrived in Agra in the early morning and after a 
rest and breakfast at a hotel went directly to the Taj. 
The gateway at the entrance to the grounds is a 
beautiful structure but we were anxious to see the 
M Dream in Marble " as it has been called, and what 
a beautiful sight greeted us as we passed through the 
gateway ! We stood entranced for several minutes. 
Opposite the entrance was the Taj, a pure white mar- 
[94] 



General Work 

ble tomb inlaid with mosaics of different colored mar- 
bles. You have probably read a description of this 
lovely tomb built by Shah Jahan for his beloved wife's 
last resting-place. It is said that the building covers 
an acre of ground and that twenty-two thousand men 
were twenty years in building it. The cost was 
twenty millions of dollars. I cannot vouch, for the 
truth of this but it is the current statement here, and 
does not seem impossible as one notes the fine and 
delicate carvings of the marble screens, the exquisite 
bas-reliefs and other sculptured designs which must 
have required years of careful workmanship to ac- 
complish. We tested the echo by singing one line 
of the Doxology at a time waiting for the whispering 
return of what seemed like sweet voices from unseen 
ones hovering over us in the great dome. 

This beautiful structure stands in a garden of thir- 
teen acres on the banks of the River Jamna. The 
garden itself is a beautiful sight with its fine trees, lux- 
uriant shrubbery, flowers of every hue and roses of 
every variety and color. There are marble walks and 
fountains in which the lovely pink lotus grows, and 
though the fountain jets were not in action the placid 
waters added beauty to the scene. 

One cannot wonder that this quiet spot was a fa- 
vorite resort of the beautiful queen and that she often 
came here from her royal home in Delhi ; it was for 
[95] 



A Glimpse of India 

this reason, probably, that Shah J ah an built here the 
tomb which embodies her dying request, " Build for 
me a monument whose beauty shall command the 
admiration of the world." 

The next day Dr. and Mrs. Humphrey resumed 
their journey to Bombay and I returned to Bareilly 
:e : :.:..: ^ :ha: mv eves r.iz ztr.z'.: :h s •• rerfeeiic" 3: 



The day in Agra amid new scenes and with change 
of thought was refreshing and I returned to take up 
my work with renewed zeal and courage. "We have 
had a very interesting Bible reading with the dispen- 
sary patients this morning-, some of them were 
unusually attentive. tt The entrance of Thy Word 
giveth Light." How this encourages us to pray that 
the Word given so faithfully by our dispensary Bible 
woman may find a place in the heart of some hungry 
soul. How it would comfort these poor women if 
they could only believe that God is a loving Father 
ready to help them at all times instead of always hav- 
ing the fear that they may do something to displease 
their deities and incur their wrath. 

God has said that His Word shall not return unto 
Him void, so we may hope that the good seed of the 
Word which has been sown this morning may spring 
up and bring forth fruit in His good time. These 
people come to us with the utmost confidence believ- 

[96] 



General Work 

ing that our medicines will cure their ailments what- 
ever they may be or of how long standing, and while 
we endeavor to heal their bodies we are trying just as 
earnestly to minister to their souls. 



[971 



VIII 
As M Saw It 



Bareilly, Feb. 12, 1875. 
My dear Sister : 

Our Conference last month was, as usual, a 
season of spiritual refreshing as well as of pleasant 
social intercourse. You can imagine how delightful 
these annual gatherings must be for those of our mis- 
sionaries who are in isolated stations where they hardly 
see people of their own color half a dozen times 
through the year. Constant intercourse with the na- 
tives must have more or less of a depressing effect no 
matter how much one may be interested in her work, 
and these days of social and religious intercourse are 
the source of pleasant anticipation for weeks before 
we come together and of renewed interest in the work 
as different phases of it are discussed by different mis- 
sionaries. 

I find something of this same feeling among some 
of the higher class of women who come to the dispen- 
sary. They get tired of the seclusion of their homes 
and are glad of any pretext to come out among others 
if their friends do not absolutely forbid it. Their 

[98] 



As M Saw It 

motive is not, like that of the missionaries, a desire 
for spiritual refreshment, but a longing for a change of 
some kind to relieve the monotony of their lives, and 
these visits to the dispensary certainly give them food 
for thought and they carry away with them ideas 
which may develop into broader views of life. 

A few days ago a bright little woman came to the 
dispensary closely concealed in her covered convey- 
ance, and after receiving her medicine anxiously in- 
quired which road led to the railroad station. This 
was rather startling and we asked why she wished to 
know. She laughingly replied, " It will be a long 
time, perhaps, before my husband will let me come 
out again, and I am determined to see the railway 
carriages and the engines and things that the English 
people talk about. I will bribe my servants and my 
husband will never know about it." 

One of my Bengali patients in the hospital said to 
me before she left, " May I not come here and stay a 
while every year, even if I am not sick? I like to 
walk out in the garden and go to your bungalow. I 
am not afraid to go out here, but if I should walk out 
at home my neighbors and friends would think badly 
of me. I do not care to see fine houses or anything 
that man has made. I love the trees and flowers and 
the pretty green fields." I afterward visited this na- 
tive lady in her home and found everything clean and 
[99] 



A Glimpse of India 

orderly. There were pots of rare geraniums in the 
courtyard which she cherished equally with her jewels. 
While she was with me her husband came to see 
her and spent two or three days with her in her rooms 
in the hospital. He belongs to the Brahmo Somaj — 
an organization among the Hindus who have given up 
idol-worship and profess to worship God only, but 
they do not believe in Christ or in a spiritual change. 
We talked with him about his religious views. He 
said he loved to pray ; his idea seemed to be that one 
should spend as much time in prayer as could be 
spared from daily business. While here he used to 
arise early in the morning and drive out to a mango 
grove some distance away and spend some time in 
prayer. He said he got an inspiration from his sur- 
roundings and he could better fix his mind on God 
when alone under the trees or out in the open field. 
Others of his faith have given a similar testimony. 

Bareilly, March //, 1875. 

My dear M : 

Your letter asking me to give you some ac- 
count of my daily life and work is at hand and I will 
ask you to imagine that you are with me for a day, 
accompanying me on my visits here and in the city. 
We will first visit the hospital patients. In the first 
room at the right as we enter we find a Mohammedan 
[ IO °] 



As M Saw It 

woman who has been here for some weeks. Ask her 
a few questions. She will tell you that she has been 
very ill, but Allah (God) has heard her prayers and 
now she is almost well enough to go to her home. In 
the next room is a poor woman from a village brought 
in from the country in a very low condition. She is 
a native Christian and, as you see, too ill to be much 
benefited by medicine, but we are glad to have her here 
where we can give her nourishing food and the care 
she needs to make her comfortable. Our next pa- 
tient is a young Eurasian girl who has been deceived 
by the brother of the woman with whom she lived. 
Her mistress brought her here to await her confine- 
ment and has come several times to see her, and 
seems very kind to her. Although this woman is a 
leper she goes about where she will and seems to get 
some enjoyment out of life. 

Here are two Hindu women in this next room. 
They have come from the country. One of them is 
a very bright young woman — a widow — who has come 
with her sister-in-law to remain while she is under 
treatment ; it will appear more respectable to their 
Hindu friends to have her here as companion than 
for her sister to remain in a strange place alone. This 
woman's fingers on both hands are covered with jewels, 
which is remarkable for a Hindu widow, but they may 
have been put on for the occasion. You will be 
[IOI] 



A Glimpse of India 

pleased to see this next patient who is a lovely native 
Christian woman from Cawnpore, the daughter of a 
native minister. She is a well educated woman, and, 
as you see, has charming manners, but she is very 
delicate. We hope the change will do her as much 
good as medicine. 

Now we will visit the European ward. In one 
room is a woman from Burma, in the next one from 
Naini Tal — such a distance apart have they lived, 
and here they meet on the same errand, the pursuit of 
health. The next room is occupied by a lady from 
Allahabad, the wife of a civil engineer. She spends 
some time with her husband on his district work and, 
though she enjoys camp life, she has found it neces- 
sary to come here for rest and light treatment. 

And now I must take you in to see Mrs. Sheahy, who 
has been a valuable assistant to me for so long. It was 
a trial to me as well as to her when her eyesight began 
to fail and she was obliged to give up her work, but 
she is a true Christian and has borne her affliction 
patiently. I have had her eyes treated by a surgeon 
from the Bengal Infantry, and he has just performed 
a most successful operation, removing a cataract from 
one of her eyes. He watches her case carefully and 
feels sure that she will quite recover her sight. It is 
pleasant to see how he appreciates our hospital and 
grounds. He says it is quite a relief to come here 
[ !02] 



As M Saw It 

where everything is so clean and orderly, and the 
compound so beautiful with its shrubbery and lovely 
flowers. 

But now we must go into the dispensary. You see 
we have this clinic room and here back of it is the 
operating room ; this is the office and the room cor- 
responding to it in the opposite wing is the lecture 
room, then there are the two bath-rooms. 

We have quite a crowd of people here this morn- 
ing ; most of them are from the city, but a few, I see, 
are village people. Do you notice how patiently 
they wait, and how attentive they are to the reading of 
the Word by the dispensary Bible woman who is so 
faithfully trying to interest them ? Some of their 
questions show that they are really trying to compre- 
hend what they hear. Some of them enjoy the hymns 
and prayer. 

I have told you before of Rebecca. Her training 
under Dr. Humphrey has fitted her to be of great 
service here. She will prescribe for the more simple 
cases and the more serious ones will wait to be 
examined and prescribed for on my return from the 
city. These people are never in a hurry. They al- 
ways have time for all they want to do while we 
Americans worry because we have not time to ac- 
complish all that we want to do in a day. 

But our carriage is at the door and we will con- 

[103] 



A Glimpse of India 

tinue our morning's work. The half mile drive 
through the bazar will interest you for it is a phase 
of life that is quite unique. Here you see truly " all 
sorts and conditions of men," and conveyances of 
every description. We pass through this large gate- 
way and turn to the right through this lane which is 
hardly wide enough for our carriage. Our first call is 
on a Mohammedan woman who comes to the dispen- 
sary when she is able, but now she is too ill to come. 
They are poor people but they seem to make an ef- 
fort to make the best of what they have, and the 
house is more tidy and comfortable than many of the 
places we visit. As a rule the Mohammedans are 
not as neat as the Hindus. This woman's husband is 
a mechanic earning four or five anas a day, equal to 
eight or ten cents of our money. Let us see what 
we can do for this poor woman. " Have you taken 
the medicine as I directed ? " I ask. u Yes, Miss 
Sahiba," she replies, " I took the powders as you told 
me, and I ate the papers too." We must not let her 
see us smile though you are inclined to do so, I see. 
" I am glad you took the powders, but it is not neces- 
sary for you to eat the papers. How about the 
fever ? " I ask. " My fever came on as usual, but not 
so strong," was her answer. So I will leave more 
powders with the injunction to throw away the papers 
they are wrapped in. 

[ J °4] 




8 



As M Saw It 

Across the street is another of my patients, the wife 
of a wealthy Hindu banker. This woman has been ill 
for several months with an incurable disease from 
which she cannot recover. She is resigned to her fate 
but begs that I will visit her often, " as," she says, " it 
is a comfort to talk with some one who knows how I 
suffer." Her husband is very kind to her although 
she has never had any children and he has taken a 
second wife, but his first wife is the one he loves. 
You can see that she is of a more refined nature than 
the other who just now passed through the room. 

Now I must take you into another part of the city, 
a region where low-caste people reside. My patient 
here is a boy who is recovering from smallpox. I 
was not called to attend him until he began to re- 
cover, then I found his case to be a serious one. I 
fear he will never be strong enough to wait upon him- 
self, even. It hardly seems possible that human 
beings can exist in such a place as this, so many peo- 
ple crowded into so small a space, yet this is common 
in the cities and is often the case in the villages, also. 

One of my Bible women visits several families in 
this mohalla or ward and a number of people come to- 
gether to hear her give the Bible lesson. Some of the 
women and girls are learning to read. The medicine 
case is useful in opening the way for the Gospel ; the 
neighborhood gets interested and when we suggest 

[105] 



A Glimpse of India 

that the children be taught there is frequently a ready 
assent, then where we have the girls the mothers are 
almost sure to come in, and this leads to an invitation 
to their homes. 

We will walk back to the entrance to the lane 
where we left the carriage and I will stop to see a lit- 
tle Mohammedan girl who has been very ill with 
typhoid fever. She is a mere skeleton but she is 
determined to live. I fancy that she is well married 
and that may be the reason that her people are so 
anxious for her recovery. She needs better care and 
better air than she can get here but the family are not 
willing to bring her to the hospital. 

There is another case near by that I must look 
after. This is a young married woman who is seri- 
ously ill, but I trust she will recover for the sake of 
her child who is such a treasure to both mother and 
father. A son is always warmly welcomed in a Hindu 
family, and this is the first born. The little woman is 
well-inclined and has a desire for improvement, but 
she belongs to a caste that is not considered respectable 
and she can never associate with any one of higher 
caste than her own unless she becomes a Christian. I 
love to tell these people that God loves them just as 
much as He does a Brahman and their souls are pre- 
cious in His sight ; that He needs them and has a place 
for them in His service. 

[106] 



As M Saw It 

One more visit we must make before we turn home- 
ward. There are several in this family suffering from 
an epidemic and I will take a look at each of them and 
perhaps change the medicine, but we must not stop to 
answer the many questions that they will surely ask 
on seeing a stranger. All are doing well I am glad to 
see, and now for home and breakfast. It is half-past 
ten o'clock. 

A busy forenoon, do you say ? Yes, but not out of 
the ordinary, and there are dispensary patients yet to 
be attended to after our breakfast, you know. They 
will have enjoyed a comfortable rest in our absence. 

September 2Jth. 
My dear Sister : 

You would be amused over some of the 
arrivals this morning. A woman came to the hospital 
with the evident intention of remaining some time as 
she was accompanied by her husband, three children, a 
widowed sister and twelve servants. There was an 
ox-cart with their furniture and they had brought food 
— cooked and uncooked — to last some time, and there 
were the three conveyances in which the family came. 
The woman needed treatment and of course we were 
glad to have her here, and I could appreciate her wish 
to have her children with her, but I asked her why her 
husband came. She made several excuses ; she would 
[>°7] 



A Glimpse of India 

be afraid to stay here without him ; their friends would 
give her a bad name if she were separated from him ; 
it would not be respectable for her to remain in a 
strange place without him ; and so he stays. 

The poorer classes seldom come to stay without 
bringing some member of their families with them, and 
it sometimes happens that the number of the attend- 
ants or companions is greater than the number of 
patients in the hospital. By putting up some tempo- 
rary arrangements each family lives quite separate and 
their seclusion is assured. We are glad to have the 
opportunity to give them all some new ideas and they 
seem to appreciate our sanitary system, and some really 
take pride in keeping their rooms clean and orderly. 
For nearly three months we have had families of 
Christians, Hindus, Bengalis and Mohammedans stay- 
ing in the hospital and often the women from each 
family would be present in our prayer-meetings. We 
did not require them to come but always invited them 
and the Hindu women seemed to enjoy the meeting. 
The Mohammedan women always appeared to be 
afraid lest we should make Christians of them against 
their will. 

December 29th. 

Another year nearly gone ! As I look back over 
the twelve months of service I think I can truly say 
that it has been my best year in India, although I have 

[108] 



As M Saw It 

at times been so physically unfit for work. The dis- 
pensary work is very absorbing both of time and 
strength but it has nevertheless been very satisfactory. 
We have had more high-caste patients than heretofore, 
probably because we are better known in the city, so 
that they have less reluctance in coming to us. We 
have had abundant opportunities to do good both to 
the bodies and souls of the people and we have reason 
to believe that our efforts have not been entirely vain. 
Of course some neither comprehend nor seem to care 
for the truth presented, while others really seem deeply 
interested and really anxious to learn something of our 
religion. We have had six high-caste women in the 
hospital, also, during the year, shy and modest and 
gentle-mannered the most of them, and very appreci- 
ative of our care and attention. 

When Mrs. Sheahy was laid aside from work I was 
fortunate in securing the services of a very capable 
young woman to oversee my Bible women and go with 
them to examine their work in the schools and zananas. 
She says she finds the women are generally attentive 
and take an interest in what is being taught them. 
Those who can read the Urdu or Hindi character are 
reading the Bible in those languages and others are 
being taught to read and write and also to do some 
kinds of needlework. There are about forty houses 
which are visited twice every week. 
[ I0 9] 



. A Glimpse of India 

I have been interested to notice that we have treated 
nineteen hundred and twenty-nine patients this year 
and have given out just a few less than five thousand 
prescriptions. There have been more paying patients 
than in any former year, the fees amounting to five 
hundred and sixty-six dollars, a sum which materially 
helps out our medical work. 

February 5, l8j6. 
Although my five years of service had expired I 
did not feel at liberty at our Conference session to ask 
leave for a change to America even though convinced 
that I really need a rest. There is much anxiety as 
well as responsibility connected with medical work 
resulting in weariness of body and mind, and it was 
with a feeling of relief that I heard that the Society is 
sending out a medical lady who will probably reach 
here early in March. This makes it possible for me 
to take the much needed rest and change and I have 
decided, by the strongly emphasized advice of the 
surgeon who has sometimes given his assistance in 
some of my cases, to leave for America as soon as I 
can make it convenient to do so. Mr. and Mrs. 
Cherington with their little one will sail about the 1st 
of March and I shall be glad to go in their company. 
You will probably hear from me again before I reach 
America. 

[no] 



IX 

Second Journey to India 

Liverpool, England, Oct. 10, l8yg. 

My dear H : 

There were so many things to attend to during 
the last few weeks before leaving home that I did not 
find time to write to you so I take this opportunity 
while waiting for a steamer to let you know that I am 
well and glad to be on my way back to India. 

I left Castile on the 25th of September and sailed 
from New York two days later on the steamer Celtic 
arriving in Liverpool on the seventh of this month. 
The weather was fine and the voyage delightful. I 
am travelling alone as our Society is not sending out 
missionaries this year, but I find some friendly people 
among strangers and get along nicely. 

The agents of our mission board attend to my lug- 
gage and engage my passage so I have only to go 
to the steamer when it is ready to sail. One of our 
missionaries will meet me at Bombay and attend to 
getting me through the custom-house and I shall be 
well taken care of there. 

Our steamer sails to-morrow. If we have a pros- 
perous voyage we shall be nearing the Suez Canal by 
the time this reaches you. 

I know you are disappointed that I decided to return 

[in] 



A Glimpse of India 

to India, but knowing so well the need of workers 
among the poor and destitute women of India I can- 
not but feel that my work is among them while I have 
strength to work anywhere, and I would much rather 
go back and die on the field than stay at home from a 
selrish motive. My greatest trial in leaving home is 
the separation from you all. 

Bombay, Xovember 8th. 

I am sure that you will rejoice with me that I have 
reached India safely in spite of the winds and waves 
and the many dangers of the sea. After we left Malta 
we had one very stormy day, the waves washing over 
the main deck and the great ship rocking like a cradle. 
No one can appreciate the "rocking; in the cradle of 
the deep" who has not experienced it. 

We reached Port Said at the entrance of the Suez 
Canal the fourth dav from Alalta and the twelfth from 
Liverpool. The canal is ninety miles long and we 
were two davs passing through as we could sail only 
six miles an hour and always stopped at the "sidings " 
from sunset until daylight. One beautiful moonlight 
night we anchored in the lake not far from the spot 
where the children of Israel crossed, it is said. 

We arrived at Suez Sunday morning and who 

should come on board but the colored evangelist, 

Amanda Smith, of Philadelphia, and Miss Drake, of 

Boston, sent out bv Dr. Cullis. I had never seen 

[112] 






C/3 



Second Journey to India 

her but had met Amanda Smith at the depot in Canan- 
daigua, so I went to them at once and introduced my- 
self and for the rest of the way found them most de- 
lightful companions. Our eleven days' sail from 
Suez to Bombay was very pleasant as the sea was 
calm the most of the way, but it was very hot in the 
Red Sea. 

Luc know , November ijth. 

I intended to finish this letter while in Bombay and 
send it by the first home mail but the days were too 
short for all that I had to do. I was there five days 
staying with one of our missionaries. There were 
meetings every morning and calls during the day, and 
two days I had to go to the custom-house as my lug- 
gage was not all brought off the steamer at once. We 
arrived in Bombay on the 6th of November, just 
thirty-nine days after leaving New York, but four 
days and a half of that time were spent in Liverpool. 
On the eleventh I started for Cawnpore alone, arriv- 
ing there on the afternoon of the thirteenth. Dr. 
Waugh and Mr. Messmore met me at the railway 
station and after spending two days with the Waughs 
I came here on Saturday to have a little visit with 
Miss Thoburn before going on to Bareilly. 

Miss Thoburn sent a telegram of welcome to me 
at Bombay and met me on my arrival here and I am 
sitting with her in her room enjoying myself and 
["3] 



A Glimpse of India 

happy in the thought that I can rest here until next 
Thursday. I found several letters of welcome await- 
ing me from the good friends in Bareilly. Mrs. 
Thomas wrote that she would come to Lucknow to 
accompany me to Bareilly, not because I " cannot 
be trusted to travel alone (!) " but because she wants 
to have the first visit with me, she says, so we expect 
her this evening. 

I have met several of my old Lucknow patients and 
all seem glad to see me. A native woman who has 
been associated with Miss Thoburn since we came to 
India ten years ago came in this morning to give me a 
word of welcome. She did not speak but embraced 
me and passed into the next room. After a while 
Miss Thoburn went into the room and found the 
woman crying and asked what was the matter. " Oh, 
Miss Sahiba," she replied, "do you not see how Miss 
Swain has changed ? If you go to America I am 
afraid you will come back looking as she does." The 
great cry is, " How thin you have grown ! " I never 
dreamed that there were so many people interested in 
the amount of flesh that covers my bones. I tell them 
that I am the same ; it is only the house I live in that 
has grown smaller and taken on a look of age and di- 
lapidation, but the tenant within is stronger and wiser 
and better fitted to work among them than when the 
outside had a better and stronger appearance. 

cm] 



Second Journey to India 

I can never tell any one how good it seems to me 
to get back here ; I feel now that I can never leave 
India again. I have such a home feeling, and such a 
love for the people fills my soul that I cannot refrain 
from saving, This is my country, the land to which 
my Father has called me, these are my people, these 
simple-hearted people living in their mud huts, with 
clothing hardly sufficient to cover their nakedness, 
with the spark of immortality imparted to them by 
the Divine Being buried so deep under their wicked- 
ness and idolatry, I must, I must help them ! 

December ijth. 
My dear Sister : 

Since my return to Bareilly I begin to realize 
the weariness of my long journey. I am staying with 
Miss Sparkes who, with her assistants, occupies a 
bungalow across the road from the Orphanage. 

Mrs. McGrew has charge of the medical work and 
she and her husband are living in my old home, as it 
was necessary that she should be near the hospital. 

I have nothing to do these few days before Confer- 
ence but just rest and I feel the need of it, I assure 
you. 

I appreciate the beautiful winter weather we have in 
this part of India, such days of sunshine and such a 
cool and refreshing atmosphere. I am sure the patients 

["5] 



A Glimpse of India 

in the Castile Sanitarium would not need to be urged 
to " sit out " after meals if the climate there were like 
this. 

I am longing for the time to come when I shall be 
settled in work again. I do not know where I may 
be appointed by the Conference ; Miss Thoburn hopes 
it may be Lucknow but I think I can do better work 
in Bareilly, and it would be my choice to return to my 
old home and work. I have only to wait a few days 
longer to know the decision of the Conference, which 
will meet on January 7th. 

Cawnpore, yati. <£, 188 O. 
We left Bareilly on the sixth, the missionaries from 
Budaon having come in the night before to accompany 
us. At Shahjahanpore Dr. and Airs. Johnson joined 
us and at Lucknow Mr. and Mrs. Badlev and other 
missionaries were added to our company. We had one 
of the intermediate railwav carriag-es to ourselves and 

J o 

we had quite a social time, enlivening the hours with 
singing and recitations. Other missionaries had ar- 
rived at Cawnpore before us. 

Conference opened vesterdav morning with most of 
the missionaries present and in the afternoon the 
Woman's Missionarv Societv convened in the parson- 
age drawing-room with seventeen lady missionaries 
and a few visitors present. After singing a hymn 

[n6] 



Second Journey to India 

Mrs. Amanda Smith led the devotions. Then the 
officers for the ensuing year were elected, and the 
hours for the daily meetings fixed. Each of the ladies 
present reported the amount of missionary money 
raised by the native auxiliary of her station ; the 
largest amount given by any one auxiliary was 
eighteen rupees and the total amount from the nine 
auxiliaries was eighty-four rupees. 

Each auxiliary has the privilege of deciding for 
what purpose their money shall be used and I noticed 
that one auxiliary had assumed, in part, the support or 
a teacher for a low-caste school in their own city„ 
Another devoted a part of the money to the purchase 
of books and Scripture texts for the city Sunday- 
schools. A portion of the Bareilly money provided 
conveyances for the Bible women who have Sunday- 
schools and prayer-meetings among native Christians 
in different parts of the city. 

An Estimating Committee of six ladies was ap- 
pointed to consider what amount of money would be 
needed for the work of the ensuing year, and when 
this is settled the estimates will be presented to the 
Finance Committee of the men's Conference which 
will pass upon them and return them to the ladies ; 
then the corresponding secretary will forward them to 
the secretary of the General Executive Committee in 
America. Great care is taken in preparing these 

[117] 



A Glimpse of India 

estimates, each lady having previously considered what 

amount will be needed for her current work and any 

new work which she proposes to open. A Committee 

on Special Business was appointed, also, which will 

report to-day. 

Ninth. 

After the devotional exercises this afternoon the 

time was occupied by the discussion of the report 

of the Special Committee, which related chiefly to the 

arrangement of a revised course of study for Bible 

women, their salary, and the time they should give to 

their work ; there were also suggestions regarding the 

assistants ; and several of the ladies then gave a report 

of their work for the year. These reports will be 

continued until each station has been heard from. 

Fourteenth. 

Our Conference closed on the twelfth and the 
most of the missionaries left as soon as possible 
after receiving their appointments. Every day was 
filled with business, discussions of plans of work, and 
of further expansion ; and every evening after dinner 
we had an hour or more of spiritual intercourse. 
Mrs. Amanda Smith gave a fresh inspiration by her 
most excellent talks, her singing and her soul-uplifting 
prayers. 

I received my appointment to Bareilly and Mr. and 
Mrs. McGrew go to Cawnpore. As soon as our house 
[n8] 



Second Journey to India 

is vacated Miss Sparkes and I will move back into our 
old home and I will take up my work again. As you 
are so much interested in mission work and the meet- 
ings of your Society at home I thought you would be 
interested in these details of our work here. 

It was quite a pleasure to meet Amanda Smith 
again, and you will be interested to know that Miss 
Drake, who was our travelling companion, has 
married W. B. Osborne, an American missionary who 
came to India to take up English work. He met us 
at the steamer and gave all needed assistance. 

Bareilly, April 6th. 

. . . I took over the hospital from Mrs. 
McGrew as soon as I returned from Conference, 
leaving opportunity for her to make the preparations 
for moving to Cawnpore. During my absence from 
India, Bareilly for nearly two years had the services of 
Dr. Green, who arrived from America soon after I 
left in 1876, and after her marriage to Mr. Cheney 
and departure for Naini Tal, Mrs. McGrew, who was 
in charge of the medical work in Moradabad, came 
here and has had two busy years in hospital and city 
work. 

It has not been an easy matter to find time to write 
since my return. After getting settled in our home I 
had some needed repairs to attend to, and there was a 
["9] 



A Glimpse of India 

great increase of patients because of the terrible fever 
scourge following the famine. Rebecca, my faithful 
assistant of other days; Miss Yerbury, a young Eng- 
lish lady who was at one time a patient of mine, and 
is now studying with me ; and Loraine and Matilda, 
two of Mrs. McGrew's medical students, have all 
been overcrowded with dispensary work, filling pre- 
scriptions for those who come and to send to those 
who are not able to come, so that to them the days 
are more busy than ever, while my calls to the city 
are continuous, and I am frequently called to out- 
stations. It has all been a great tax on my strength 
and just now I am suffering from a severe attack of 
neuralgia, which it seems impossible to conquer. 

I am advised to go to the hills for a time and am 
making preparations to leave my work and take a 
short rest. 

Bareilly, Oct. j, 1880. 
My dear Dr. Greene: 

The hot weather came on so early that my 
strength was soon exhausted, especially as an obsti- 
nate attack of neuralgia could not be overcome, so I 
was obliged to flee to the hills for change and rest. 
I soon recruited in the delightful climate of Naini Tal 
and almost felt that I might go back to my work on 
the plains, though it would hardly have been wise to 
[ 120] 



Second Journey to Lidia 

go from the altitude of Naini Tal to the heated plains, 
and I was strongly advised to remain until the end of 
the rainy season. There is plenty of work for will- 
ing hearts wherever one may be, and I soon began to 
have calls to attend the sick in their homes and to 
look after the native Christians around us, so I could 
feel that while enjoying the fine climate and regain- 
ing health I was at the same time making myself use- 
ful to others. 

But our pleasant summer in Naini Tal ended in 
sudden and terrible disaster. Miss Sparkes had come 
up to the sanitarium for a rest and we went out to- 
gether to make a few calls, but the rain soon drove 
us home. This was on the 16th of September and it 
rained so hard that I thought no one would come in 
so I busied myself with packing some things that I 
had bought for the hospital and had the baskets placed 
in the dining-room ready to be carried down the hill, 
for I had engaged conveyances for Amanda Smith 
and myself for the twenty-first. I put some extra 
garments that would not be needed into my trunk and 
then settled myself for the night. It rained hard all 
night and all the next day, the storm increasing in 
violence every hour, it seemed to us. I went to bed 
but awoke about one o'clock feeling troubled and 
wondering if there was danger; the uneasiness in- 
creased and a little later I got up and lighted my lamp 
[121] 



A Glimpse of India 

and looked about but saw nothing wrong, so leaving 
the lamp lighted I went back to bed. A few minutes 
later the window in my room burst open with a ter- 
rible crash letting in a rush of water and shale. My 
dressing-table was near the window and was thrown 
over and it and the lamp buried under the shale. I 
was alone in the room and got out as quickly as 
I could and groped my way to the door opening into 
the sitting-room but found that the jar from the crash 
and the rush of shale had closed it so tightly that I 
had great difficulty in opening it. I finally succeeded 
and got the front door open and went to the next 
suite of rooms where I found Mrs. Mudge trying to 
rescue her children's clothes from the rushing stream. 
She had but one lamp so I went to the next room 
where Miss Layton and Miss Sparkes were trying to 
rescue some of their things, and found that they could 
not help me as they had but one small lamp. Mrs. 
Thomas was able to give me a lamp and I went back 
to my rooms. The water was running out of the 
front door like a small river and some of my things 
were floating on the stream. I caught what I could 
and pressed in to see what I could rescue. All my 
toilet arrangements were in the shale and under water. 
Fortunately I had put my watch in its case on the 
mantelpiece near the head of my bed so that was 
safe. 

[122] 



Second Journey to India 

I lost a number of valuables in the way of instru- 
ments, my two batteries, a box of medicines, and my 
nice medicine case that I bought in Boston, but this 
was only the beginning of troubles. The men as- 
sisted us down the hill to the mission house where 
the Bucks were living and Mrs. Buck provided us 
with some dry garments, but just as we began to feel 
a little comfortable the men who had been working 
hard to save Mr. Buck's house came in and said we 
must pack up things there as quickly as possible as 
the water was gaining on them so rapidly that there 
was no hope, so we all set to work pulling up the 
carpets and packing Mr. Buck's library and other 
valuable things, until about one o'clock when the 
water began to pour into the house and we saw we 
should have to leave everything and fly. Mr. Thomas 
said we must leave at once or the road would soon be 
gone and our escape cut off, so we hurried down the 
hill to our mission chapel where we found a number 
of native Christians and our servants who had taken 
shelter there as their houses were falling. We sat in 
the veranda wondering what we would do if the water 
came there, for the chapel was not far below the mis- 
sion house. I said to Mrs. Thomas, " I think the 
assembly rooms over there near the lake will be as safe 
as any place if the water comes here. We can go 
down there." Just then I looked up toward the hill 
[ I2 3] 



A Glimpse of India 

back of the sanitarium and noticed the trees shaking 
and in an instant down came the hill, demolishing a 
large hotel, a large department store which stood 
below it, and the assembly rooms which a moment 
before had seemed to us a place of safety. Not a 
trace of either building could be seen two minutes 
after the catastrophe. Two hundred natives and fifty 
Europeans were buried beneath the ruined buildings 
and not far from a million dollars' worth of property 
destroyed. The mission property, consisting of three 
houses, a church and schoolhouse, a large building 
occupied by native Christians, and a number of serv- 
ants' houses, was in what was considered about the 
finest locality in Naini Tal, but to-day it is in a ruin- 
ous condition. The hill above it is cracked and it is 
feared that another hard rain will bring; it down. 

When it seemed no longer safe for us to remain at 
the chapel, and we saw people rushing in all direc- 
tions to find a place of safety, word came to us that 
we must leave immediately arid we all started together 
down the road which was so cut up into deep gorges 
that we were often deep in water, but we finally 
reached the outlet of the lake but were prevented from 
going further as the bridge was in danger of being 
swept away any minute, so we sought shelter in a 
house near the European hospital. It was not a very 
desirable place fjr they were bringing into the yard 

'[124] 



Second Journey to India 

and hospital the dead and wounded who had been res- 
cued from the ruins; however we remained there over 
night and in the morning, Sir Henry Ramsay, the 
Commissioner of the district, sent us word that we 
could have a cottage of his on the other side of the 
lake, where we would be quite safe. We gladly took 
possession and soon got our native Christians over 
and began to send back for our things, and in due 
time we were able to set up housekeeping, but in a 
very primitive style. 

The roads were so bad that there was no hope of 
our leaving for Bareilly on the twenty-first as we had 
planned but we were so filled with gratitude over our 
escape from the peril that had threatened us, that we 
were not inclined to murmur over the derangement of 
our plans. 

I came down to Bareilly last Thursday, glad to get 
back to the plains where there are no hills to fall. 
But we found here a disastrous flood. The river 
Ganges had risen and swept away thousands of peo- 
ple and whole villages were destroyed, and the railroad 
was so washed out that it will be weeks before trains 
can be run over it. 

Poor India has been visited with one calamity after 
another. Famine and the fever scourge carried off 
thousands, then came cholera and now this flood. 
God has a purpose in it all but the people are slow to 

[125] 



A Glimpse of India 

learn. So far as we know not a native Christian has 
been lost in the flood. 

It is a time of general thanksgiving with those of 
us who have been so wonderfully delivered from death. 

Mr. Thomas remained in Naini Tal to see what 
could be done about the mission buildings, getting the 
mud and shale cleared out and saving as much of the 
materials as possible, and he reports that the houses 
are still standing. There is such a panic among the 
people who own property there and those who have 
lost all that they possessed, but their grief is as noth- 
ing compared to those whose families were lost in the 
terrible landslip. 

December jo, 1880. 
My dear Sister : 

You have read the account of the " Landslip " 
in the letter which I sent to Dr. Greene, and I am 
sure you will be glad to know that, notwithstanding 
all the exposure, I have not lost one day from my 
work since my return to Bareilly. We have from 
fifty to eighty patients every day in the dispensary be- 
sides the many patients that I attend in their homes. 
My good assistants do all they can to help me though, 
of course, the care and responsibility come upon me; 
but I have learned to do the best I can and leave the 
result with a higher Power, and not spend any strength 
in carrying my own burdens or worrying over things 

[126] 



Second Journey to India 

that I cannot make better. I believe we cannot do 
this and honor God in our work as it is our privilege 
to do. 

We have treated nearly twice as many patients at 
the dispensary this year than any former year, and the 
visits to the out-stations and neighboring villages have 
been more frequent. Some of these have been most 
interesting to us as we have had the opportunity to 
tell the story of the Lord Jesus to some who have 
heard it from our lips for the first time. 

During my absence in the hot weather Rebecca 
took charge of the entire work, to the satisfaction of 
all ; some weeks she was called to see patients in the 
city nearly every day. The two medical students 
have done good service in compounding medicines and 
looking after the sick in the Orphanage and hospital, 
and Miss Yerbury, besides her work in the hospital 
and dispensary, has given the morning Bible lessons 
to the patients while they were waiting for their pre- 
scriptions. I have been looking over the list of hos- 
pital patients and find we have had twelve Christian 
women, thirty-one girls from the Orphanage, nine 
girls from the Lucknow and Budaon schools and two 
little Christian boys, besides a number of Moham- 
medan and Hindu women and ten Europeans. 

There were six deaths among our city patients, five 
of them from cholera, but our hearts have been cheered 

[127] 



A Glimpse of India 

by seeing some seemingly hopeless cases restored to 
health and strength. 

I have received six hundred and forty-nine dollars 
in fees, and have given out eleven thousand, eight 
hundred and forty prescriptions, the number of pa- 
tients treated being just nine less than six thousand. 



[128] 



X 

Visitors From America 



Bareilly, Feb. zj, 1881. 
My dear Sister : 

Our Conference met this year in Bareilly and 
we had with us several Americans, who added interest 
to our meetings. It is always pleasant to have a bishop 
from America at our Conferences and Bishop Merrill 
was as warmly welcomed as were other bishops who 
had come to us in former years. 

Besides Bishop Merrill there were the " Round-the- 
World Evangelists," Reverend Mr. Inskip, Mr. Mc- 
Donald and Mr. Wood with their wives, and two 
new missionaries of the Woman's Society. The 
ladies of the Inskip party attended our Ladies' 
Society, helped in the devotional meetings, and gave 
us words of cheer which were much appreciated. On 
invitation Bishop Merrill conducted the devotions at 
one of our afternoon meetings and made a fine 
address for which the ladies gave him hearty thanks. 

I have had a delightful family all winter and some 
very nice Hindustani patients staying in the hospital. 
Several of my English patients are quite well now and 
[ I2 9] 



A Glimpse of India 

have gone to their homes and others will go this 
month. Native patients are beginning to come in 
again from out-stations. I am expecting a Bengali 
woman to-day from Shahjahanpore. She is the wife of 
the station-master, to whom I was called last week to 
examine her case and I had great difficuitv in persuad- 
ing her to come to the hospital. To a Hindu woman 
who has never left her secluded home or ever looked 
outside her own premises the distance between the 
two cities appeared verv great and it seemed a dread- 
ful thing to her to come so far awav from her home 
and friends. 

I am sending vou a report of the mission work in 
the charge of the ladies of our societv ; in it you will 
see mv medical report and will notice that mv fees 
amounted to nearly my yearly salarv. Mv health is 
as good as ever it was and I find mvself just as well 
able to work. I think I travel six miles a dav, on an 
average, for I have so much running about and so 
many separate buildings to look after ; and then if 
anv one outside our grounds is sick that means extra 
work. There is nothing like having pientv to do in 
India. I am sure we should all die if we had no defi- 
nite aim in life. 

Bishop Merrill was astonished to see the vastness of 
our mission work ; he had no idea that we had such a 
Christian community, so many churches, schools and 
[!30] 



America 

Sundav-schools. He was surprised to see how well 
d the children are in the Scriptures and says he 
thinks them far ahead of the children in America. 
| resence added much to the interest of the Con- 
ference meetings ; he is such a solid and wise man and 
things so correctly. 
You will find quite a full account of our meetings 
in the Indian IVitness which I am sending you. I 
will send it every week if it will interest you. It may 
perhaps answer in place of a letter sometimes. 

D:.: :— I ;:'<:. 
lave had some interest;::^ and intelligent 
women among our dispensary patients of late and our 
hearts have been gladdened many times as we have 
observed the interested faces as they have lister, e 
the morning lesson. In no former year have I 
received so manv sincere expressions of gratitude from 
native patients, especiallv some who were unable to 
any pecuniarv compensation for their treatment 
but have, nevertheless, managed to bring some little 
gift after their recoverv. One poor woman to-day 
brought an offering of oranges, almonds and raisins — 
a few of each — saying she was poor but she wanted 
to give something in return for the benefit she had 
received. Another patient who lives in a village not 
far from Nairn Tal brought twelve ears of oreer 
["31] 



A Glimpse of India 

and a bottle of honey. He said his was a small gift 
but he wanted to offer something, as his life had been 
saved, he believed, by the medicine sent him. These 
simple gifts indicate a spirit of gratitude and apprecia- 
tion which is very encouraging to us who work for 
them. 

I have just had an interesting case of a high-caste 
Hindu woman who has been fasting for eight months 
because of the death of the head of the family, one 
of the leading men of his caste and a man of consid- 
erable wealth. Since his death all the women of his 
family, including distant relatives, have taken food 
once in twenty-four hours only. While they have 
been fasting themselves they have been feeding the 
poor daily as a work of merit for the dead. When on 
my way at evening to see my patient I have noticed 
on both sides of the road leading to the house quite a 
company of poor people receiving food from the 
household servants. 

The woman I was called to treat had been to the 
Ganges to bathe and perform some ceremonies and 
had taken cold and I found her seriously ill. She 
begged me to give her something to cause her death, 
saying she was not afraid to die but she could not 
endure such pain. I asked her if she would take 
liquid medicines. " Oh, no," she replied. " Will 
you take powders ? " I asked, and again she answered, 
[132] 



Visitors From America 

" No." " How can I give you medicine then ? " I 
asked. " I will take medicine that can be applied ex- 
ternally," was her answer. " But that will not be 
sufficient," I said. " You are very ill and if you will 
not take either medicine or food, I do not see that I 
can do much for you." 

Her son, who was standing by, said, " Do come to 
see her again, your presence will be some help to 
her ;" so the next morning I went again and found 
her still suffering. An old man, a relative of the 
family, sat by her, and he said to me, " I think she 
will take dry medicines this morning if you can truth- 
fully say there is neither wine nor beef in them." I 
replied, " I have treated Hindu women in Bareilly for 
several years and I assure you that I have never put 
either beef or wine in the dry medicines I have given 
them." Their confidence began to increase and I at 
once prepared a powder and asked her to take it before 
me, which she did and from that hour she never re- 
fused to take any medicine which I wished to give 
her, but on no account could she take food as the time 
of her fast had not expired. I attended her for ten 
days during which time she did not take more than a 
pint of milk. I have never witnessed such self-denial 
as exists among Hindu women of high caste. This 
woman seems to have led a very pure and holy life, 
according to her religion. 

[133] 



A Glimpse of India 

Bareilly, Jan. 2$, 1882. 

My dear M : 

There is a great deal of cholera in 
the city and we have been obliged to stop the work of 
the Bible women and teachers for a time. My own 
work goes on and will increase if the epidemic breaks 
out among the native Christians ; there has been but 
one case among them so far. 

To-day a woman was brought to the dispensary 
who is just recovering from smallpox. I have been 
exposed to it many times since I have been in India 
but have never had any symptoms of it. 

I am living in our house again this winter. You 
remember that I lived in the hospital last cold season 
and went to Naini Tal in the hot weather. The 
house has been whitewashed inside and out and with 
new mattings and floor cloths we are very clean and 
nice. Miss Kelly has charge of the zanana work in 
the city and she and her assistant are living with me, 
and I have one assistant and one student so we are a 
family of five. 

In addition to my medical work I have been build- 
ing and repairing all winter and at times have had 
fifty and sixty persons at work, masons, carpenters, 
plasterers and coolies. The masons receive twelve 
and a half cents a day and the coolies three and a half 
cents, the others get six cents a day. My house 

[134] 




■ex. 

"X3 
Q 

s 



Visitors From America 

servant calls all the men, women and children to- 
gether when the day's work is done and writes down 
the number of each class of workers and on Saturday he 
gives me the account for the week, receives the money 
from me and pays each one according to his or her 
earnings. The last payment was nine dollars and a 
quarter for a week's work. You would be surprised 
to see how many persons it took to earn that amount 
in a week. I go out every morning to direct the work 
and in the evening take a look to see what has been 
accomplished. 

A missionary ought to understand all trades, have 
engineering ability, be a good financier and accountant, 
and ready for anything, for we have a little of all 
sorts of work to do. One of our missionaries came 
in the other day and seeing the work that was going 
on, said, " If you had been a man, you would have 
made a general." " No, indeed," I said, " I would 
have been an engineer." I am having a new well 
dug and when that is done I hope to have a little rest 
from brick and mortar. 

yune 2ph. 

Rebecca, who has been so many years with me in 
the dispensary, left just as the hot season began and I 
was left alone with a helper who knew almost nothing 
about caring for the sick, but Mrs. Parker has just 
sent her native doctor, Shuluk, — who was also trained 

[135] 



A Glimpse of India 

by Dr. Humphrey — to assist me and I am quite re- 
lieved. 

The rains have begun and everything looks fresh 
and green and beautiful. No place is more lovely 
than India in the rainy season; that is my opinion, 
others may not think so. The mangoes are just in 
their glory, so ripe and delicious. I bought a hundred 
this morning for fifty cents. I wish you could help 
me eat them. Peaches, too, are abundant and are very 
fine this year. 

We have had some profitable meetings in the 
hospital ; nearly every patient who was able came in 
and all listened with great attention to the lessons. 
One old Hindu woman reads the Bible and finds 
great comfort in believing its words and when she 
tells me what it means to her I feel that she has come 
into the light. 

Just now there is a very interesting woman here, 
who says that when about fourteen years of age she 
was sold to a Mohammedan who has several wives. 
She has been ill for some time but could not get 
treatment where she was living. One day a religious 
devotee came to the place and told her that there was 
a lady doctor in Bareilly who could cure her, so she 
got ready and has come seven hundred miles with the 
hope of regaining her health. She has been trained 
as a dancing girl and wears the dress peculiar to that 

[136] 



Visitors From America 

class. The skirt of her dress has one hundred gores 
and is thirty yards wide. When she whirls in the 
dance the skirt stands straight out, yet some of the 
folds fall about her limbs. She seems inclined to 
lead a different life, but thinks it would be difficult as 
she has been taught to feel that her present life is the 
one ordered for her. I trust that while she is with 
us she will learn that there is a better life for 
her. 

I wonder if I have ever told you of my leper 
patient. It is the custom for a crowd of beggars to 
go to the bungalows occupied by Europeans to beg 
for pice and every Sunday morning we find them in 
front of the house waiting for the servant to appear to 
supply them. Among them is an old man who has 
been coming for about five years. He is a leper 
whose nose, ears, fingers and toes have disappeared 
because of this terrible disease. He is a hideous ob- 
ject but his very helplessness appeals to our sympathies 
and we are glad to bandage his sores and give him 
what help we can for his special need, at the same 
time giving him a word of comfort and pointing him 
to One who is able to cleanse the leper. He ought 
not to be allowed to go about among people, but 
there is no law to hinder or restrain such people from 
going where they will. There are mission asylums 
in the hills for lepers if they will go. One of my 

[137] 



A Glimpse of India 

medical class developed leprosy and was sent to the 
mission asylum in Almorah where she has been well 
cared for and she is glad to be doing something for 
others who are more helpless than she is. 

A few mornings ago a woman came bringing her 
sick child, the only surviving one of seven. The 
Bible woman spoke words of comfort to her telling 
her of Jesus who when upon earth took little chil- 
dren in His arms and blessed them, and that now He 
is near to heal the sick and comfort the broken- 
hearted. She assured her that the six little ones that 
she had consigned to the " sacred river " were safe 
with Him, and she would see them again if she would 
believe in Him and trust in Him for salvation. We 
prescribed for the little one, praying that the dear 
Father would spare this one, and that the good seed 
sown in the mother's heart might spring up and bear 
fruit unto eternal life. 

Many people believe that these people have little 
natural affection, but some touching instances of their 
care and love for each other have come to our notice 
both among low and high castes. A Hindu who has 
a wife and four children called me to visit his wife 
who was very ill. He is employed in one of the 
government schools, receiving ten dollars a month 
and when I visited the house he offered me a dollar 
as a fee, which I declined to accept as his means are 
[•3S] 



Visitors From America 

so limited. " I give it gladly, " he said ; " my wife's 
life is more to me than money." 

Another man, with an income of three dollars a 
month, offered me one dollar for my visit, which, of 
course, I refused to take, but when his wife's improve- 
ment was assured he felt like giving all that he had 
and insisted on my taking two dollars and a half, leav- 
ing them only fifty cents for their food. I might tell 
you of similar instances which have occurred in my 
practice, showing that a heathen man is capable of 
loving and caring for his kindred. 

December i8tb. 

Four of our hospital patients have died this year. 
One of them, a village woman who was converted to 
Christianity three years ago and baptized by our native 
pastor, the Rev. Joel Janvier, was with us for two 
months, and during the time bore her sufferings with 
great patience and resignation, and in her last hours 
gave evidence that for her to die was gain, for she 
was departing to be with Jesus. 

Last June, Mary Angelo, a Christian widow, came 
to me asking if she could have a room in the hospital 
for a time as she had no home. I was very glad to 
give her a room on condition that she would read and 
talk with the sick in the hospital every day in their 
rooms, and she did this very acceptably. Later I 
[139] 



A Glimpse of India 

gave her a place in the dispensary as compounder and 
she has learned the work so quickly and is doing so 
well that I am now paying her four rupees a month, 
and expect to have her as a regular student next year. 

The girls of the medical class taught by Dr. Dease 
have given good service in putting up prescriptions in 
the morning clinics. 

The second Decennial Conference is to meet in Cal- 
cutta on the twenty-eighth of this month and many 
of our missionaries are planning to attend it. This 
is a conference of missionaries of all denominations in 
India; the first one was held in Allahabad, in 1872, 
with one hundred and thirty-six members present, 
representing nineteen missionary societies, but it is 
expected that the number will be much larger this 
year. 

I shall try to tell you a little about it in my next 
letter. 



[ I40] 



XI 

Decennial Conference at Calcutta 

Bareilfy, Feb. 77, 1883. 

My dear M : 

On the 25th of December our party of mis- 
sionaries from the North India Conference started 
for Calcutta to attend the Decennial Conference. 
By special arrangement the railway company allowed 
members of the Conference to travel in second-class 
carriages at intermediate class fares, and the carriages 
put at our disposal consisted of two compartments 
with sliding doors between and five sleeping berths in 
each. The two upper berths were put up in the day- 
time and the doors opened between the compartments 
giving us a good-sized room, so that we could have 
prayers together every day and make visits to each 
other in the different carriages. There were eight 
married missionaries with their wives, ten missionaries 
without their wives, nine single ladies, besides Bishop 
Foster, Dr. and Mrs. Reed, and Mrs. Lore, who with 
her daughter, had come out to India to spend a year 
with her missionary daughter, Mrs. McGrew. 

The other Methodist Conferences, too, were well 
represented. 

[141] 



A Glimpse of India 

The Conference opened on Thursday morning, the 
twenty-eighth, the Hon. Sir Henry Ramsay as presi- 
dent giving an address of welcome in a most compre- 
hensive speech, which contained allusions to the dif- 
ferent departments of mission work. 

A prayer-meeting was held every morning at half- 
past seven o'clock, continuing an hour, and on Sunday, 
the thirty-first, there was a united communion service. 
Every day there were papers, speeches and discussions 
on various topics, participated in by missionaries of 
the different missions, and the morning session of the 
fourth day was given to the ladies for the presentation 
of their special work. There were four papers read ; 
one of them by Miss Thoburn, on The Education of 
Native Christian Girls; following the papers were 
short speeches by several ladies on their own line of 
work. Mrs. McGrew made a neat little speech on 
medical work, in which she referred to me as the 
pioneer woman medical missionary in India, and said 
that one of my medical students has been carrying on 
in her old station a medical work larger than she her- 
self had in hand. She also mentioned one of them 
who had given valuable assistance during the cholera 
epidemic in Bareilly, to whose obedience, practical in- 
sight and general efficiency the civil surgeon gave 
unqualified testimony. 

Dr. Thoburn spoke several times very effectively 
[ J 42] 



Decennial Conference at Calcutta 

on Preaching to the Heathen, Development of Native 
Agency, Development of Spiritual Life and Enthu- 
siasm in the Churches of India, all of which are sub- 
jects in which he is deeply interested. 

Bishop Foster was an interested listener, but did not 
speak, and Dr. Reid, the senior missionary secretary 
of our Board in America, spoke only at the public mis- 
sionary meeting, but they afterward expressed their 
pleasure in having the privilege of seeing such a body 
of devoted missionaries and hearing what had been ac- 
complished in the past and what was being planned 
for the future. 

After so many days of intense and high intellectual 
enjoyment it was natural that the physical nature 
should demand relaxation, and our Calcutta friends ar- 
ranged to give us opportunity to see some of the sights 
of the capital city of India. 

One delightful day was spent at Barrackpore, twelve 
miles from Calcutta. We went in boats, finding it 
very hot on the river, and immediately on landing 
made our way to the great banian tree, the largest in 
India, covering a great space of ground with its off- 
shoots which form perfect arches and galleries. It is 
said that sixteen thousand people can sit beneath its 
shade to dine. It is very old but continues to throw 
out roots from its numerous branches. The roots are 
carefully cared for, each being placed in a hollow bam- 
[•43] 



A Glimpse of India 

boo as it shoots downward to the ground upon which 
a little mound of earth is built up to receive it, 
when it begins to grow rapidly until it forms a straight 
trunk which in turn sends branches from which other 
roots shoot downward. This process may go on for 
centuries if care is taken. We made our coffee and 
partook of our late breakfast under this tree, feeling 
that nature's dining-room was a most delightful one. 

But this gigantic tree was not the only attraction in 
the gardens ; there are beautiful lawns and shrubs, 
palms, and an endless variety of plants ; roses in great 
profusion, heliotrope and other sweet plants, fountains 
playing in marble basins, and a great variety of richly 
colored crotons. I brought home some small croton 
plants and have them growing in pots in the veranda. 

After the seven days of the Conference and two 
days of sightseeing the most of us were ready to re- 
turn to our work. 

I have not mentioned that Dr. Thoburn's church 
in Dharmtola Street was selected for the Conference 
as the most commodious, central and suitable place in 
Calcutta. Arrangements for our entertainment among 
the Methodist families of the city had been made pre- 
vious to our arrival and we made some most delightful 
acquaintances and fast friends among them. 

This year there were twenty-seven different mission- 
ary societies represented by four hundred and seventy- 
[*44] 



Decennial Conference at Calcutta 

five members. Among them were three veterans, the 
Rev. Mr. Bennett of the Baptist Mission, who came out 
to India in 1829, Rev. George Bowen of our Methodist 
Mission, and Dr. Murray Mitchell of the Free Church 
of Scotland, who read a farewell in verse of his own 
composing, and Dr. Newton who came to India 
only five years later than Mr. Bennett. Each of these 
veterans made speeches which brought tears to many 
eyes, and, I am sure, inspired the younger mission- 
aries present to renewed interest in the work of evan- 
gelizing this dark land. 

February 22d. 
My dear Sister : 

We had such a good Conference at Lucknow 
this year. It opened on the nth of January with 
Bishop Foster of America presiding. Dr. and Mrs. 
Reid from New York were present and Mrs. Lore 
who has spent more than a year in India. She and 
Mrs. Reid added much to the interest of the meetings 
of the Ladies' Society, and they, in turn, were much 
interested in our business sessions. Bishop Foster and 
Dr. Reid were invited to address us on Monday 
which they did much to our edification. 

Several of our missionaries go home this year,— 
Mr. and Mrs. Parker who, you remember, were home 
thirteen years ago, Mr. and Mrs. Badley, Mrs. Hos- 
kins with her little Willie, and Mrs. McGrew with 

[145] 



A Glimpse of India 

her three children, her mother and sister, Mrs. and 
Miss Lore. Mrs. Hoskins goes to be for a time with 
her two boys whom she left in America over five years 
ago. Mrs. Johnson will probably go in this company 
and they will have with them Mrs. Anandabai Joshi, 
a cousin to Pundita Ramabai. Mrs. Joshi goes to 
America to study medicine. 

Bishop Foster and Dr. and Mrs. Reid are visiting 
our most important mission stations and are much 
pleased with what they see of the work. We have 
enjoyed their visit here very much. The bishop was 
greatly touched and affected by the sight of so many 
half-clad and poorly-fed people as he sees everywhere. 
He says he does not see how we can get used to it \ he 
thinks our sympathies must be constantly wrought 
up by the conditions around us. I do not know what 
he would think if he could go with me into some of 
the houses in the city. 

There is great need of more missionaries in this 
part of India. Every day the way is opening for 
more schools, more zanana visiting, more of all kinds 
of mission work. Nearly every one in our mission is 
really overworked. We are training some good 
helpers from among the Anglo-Indian population who 
will be able to relieve us in some parts of our work in 
the future. The third young woman has come to-day 
to join our medical work. 

[i 4 6] 



Decennial Conference at Calcutta 

You will remember that I mentioned in some of 
my earlier letters a Miss Jore, who was a teacher in 
the Orphanage. She was with us seven years, living 
a part of the time in our family. Two years ago she 
married and went to Simla to live and last June she 
came to me as a patient. She died here before I 
went to Calcutta. I called three physicians for con- 
sultation and they declared it a very critical case and 
there was no hope for her recovery. When I told 
her this she said, " It is all right. I have trusted the 
Lord for many years and I can still trust Him," and 
she passed away perfectly resigned to the Lord's will. 

We are having the coldest weather that was ever 
known in Bareilly, so people say. There has been 
very heavy snow on the mountains ; in Naini Tal the 
snow is five feet deep. From our veranda we can see 
the snowy mountain tops quite plainly on a clear day. 

March 15 th. 
We have just been through the process of house- 
cleaning and shall be nice and clean for about two 
weeks ; at the end of that time spider-webs, dust, and 
insects innumerable will accumulate, and the doors, 
windows and curtains will be so soiled that a stranger 
might wonder if there were a housekeeper on the 
premises. I take a glance into all the rooms occa- 
sionally to see if the bearer does his work properly, and 
t'47] 



A Glimpse of India 

when things get too bad we turn evervthing out and 
have another cleaning day. We all go out to our 
work early in the morning and come back to break- 
fast at eleven o'clock ; by that time we are too tired 
to care very much how things look. Our drawing- 
room is usually beautified with flowers which makes it 
look fresh and pretty, and the gardener generally has 
flowers for the dining-table, and we have some lovely 
ferns on the veranda. 

October 1st. 

The Dasahra meetings begin on the seventh of this 
month and we are all planning to attend. The Rev. 
Dr. Phillips will have charge of the meetings. You 
may have met him when he has been in America on 
furlough. He is a grand Christian man, beloved by 
all who know him. The Phillips family are among 
the oldest of the missionary families, and Dr. Phillips 
and his sisters are of the second generation. 

We expect that Dr. and Airs. Butler will be at the 
meetings. What a pleasure it will be to them to visit 
their old mission field and see the wonderful progress 
that has been made since they left India fifteen years 
ago. 

December 2Sth. 

During the last six months it has been our lot to 
care often for the dying and to point the bereaved 
to Him who is able to make sorrow a blessing. We 
[M«] 



Decennial Conference at Calcutta 

have had some changes in our corps of workers, one 
leaving to engage in other work, and another coming 
to take her place, also a young woman to join Dr. 
Dease's class in the dispensary and give what help 
she can wherever needed. Many of our patients have 
come from villages twenty and thirty miles distant. 
We are always glad to give them something to think 
about as well as to prescribe for their physical ail- 
ments. During the year we have had opportunity to 
give the Gospel to thousands, some of whom have 
listened gladly. Only He who knows all hearts can 
tell the results of the year's work. 

In some instances we have visited in their own 
homes those who have been patients in the hospital 
and spoken words of comfort to them. One of these 
visits we can never forget. A little boy of two years, 
who had been a patient of mine since he was a few 
months old, was brought to the hospital one morning 
and after a few hours he died. He was the last of 
five children and the grief of his parents was terrible. 
No language can describe the hopeless lamentations 
of his mother or the look of desolation on her face ; 
we tried to comfort her but our efforts were vain. 
After she had gone to her home I went to see her, 
taking with me one who knew the woman and her 
sad history. When we sat down she began to talk 
about her boy, and we said, " Let us tell you where 
[ '49] 



A Glimpse of India 

he is now," and we began to talk about heaven and 
its inhabitants, where her little ones are now safe. A 
look of intense eagerness came into her face and she 
said, " How do you know this ? What proof have 
you that this is true ? " We replied, " God has told 
us and we will read about it from the book He has 
given." Then she said, " Let me call my mother- 
in-law that she may hear also." So the mother and 
father and grandmother and some of the neighbors 
listened eagerly while we read and talked to them of 
the place where their treasures had been gathered. 
The description of the New Jerusalem caught their 
attention. The twelve gates, each gate one single 
pearl ! it seemed incredible. They thought of the 
large gates in their own city and wondered how there 
could be a pearl large enough to be one gate, and then 
twelve of such gates ! Natives are very fond of pearls 
and this description pleased them. 

It was worth the journey to India to witness that 
poor mother's interest in what we read and the ccmfort 
which we could give her. We are praying earnestly 
that the light which has begun to dawn in her heart 
may grow brighter and brighter unto the perfect day. 

Bareilly, Jan. 18, 1884. 
My dear Sister : 

I have just returned from our Conference at 
Cawnpore, and have come back disappointed that I 

[•50] 



Decennial Conference at Calcutta 

could not get Miss Hyde to help me in my work here 
this year. We need two doctors here in Bareilly ; the 
work has become so large and there are so many outside 
calls that it is really beyond one person's ability to care 
for it properly. But I shall have to work alone for 
another year. 

It was a great pleasure to have Dr. and Mrs. Butler 
with us at Conference. We all enjoyed Dr. Butler's 
sermons very much, also Mrs. Butler's presence in our 
woman's meetings. 

We are having a very cold winter, so cold that the 
flowers do not blossom as usual. Everything has been 
touched with frost ; even our vegetable garden does not 
yield us the usual supply for our table. The days are 
much like late autumn days in America just before the 
snow comes, but they are very bright and clear. There 
has been no rain since early in September and our 
vegetables and flowers have to be well watered to 
make them grow at all. 

I suppose you have had this beautiful evening glow 
in America. We read of its being seen in all parts 
of the world. Some nights it is very red and the sky 
is so clear that the effect of the glow is beautiful. 

February Ijtb. 
Last month I came very near being killed. I was 
called out in the country, about one hundred miles 

[i5i] 



A Glimpse of India 

away, to visit the family of a Nawab and went part 
of the way by train and then across country for thirty 
miles in a native conveyance. I got out there very 
well but coming back I rode an elephant. One of the 
men of the family was celebrating the marriage of his 
son and had invited five thousand guests, so every con- 
veyance was in use for the marriage procession, and 
the best they could do for me was to give me an 
elephant. My native assistant and I mounted the 
elephant and just as we were passing out of the yard 
the driver said we must lower our heads or we would 
get hurt. The yard was enclosed by a high wall and 
had a gate fifteen feet high with a beam across the 
top. I thought my head was as low as I could get it 
but the beam caught me under the chin and at the side 
of my head. My assistant screamed and the driver 
backed the elephant at once thus saving my head, but 
it was black and sore for some days. One of the 
governors of North India was killed in this way. 

December 29th. 
Many times during the past year when very poor 
and suffering women and children have been brought 
to us we have rejoiced that we have so comfortable a 
place in which to receive them. I am quite sure if 
those who twelve years ago gave so liberally toward 
the building of the hospital were to see how much 

[152] 



Decennial Conference at Calcutta 

comfort it has brought to hundreds of women who in 
their own homes have known only hardship and priva- 
tion, they would realize that their investment has 
yielded a valuable dividend. 

At present the patients in the hospital are of the 
most needy class ; one is a beggar whose only home 
is a little hut on the shore of the Ganges \ others, 
from villages, whose chief characteristics are poverty 
and disease ; and others are some of the most 
wretched poor of our own city. Sufficient food to 
satisfy their hunger would in itself be a luxury, but 
when to this is added clean rooms, comfortable beds, 
and kindly ministrations it must seem to them as if 
they had entered into a new world. 

My Ganges beggar and her husband were profes- 
sional beggars. The man died and since his death the 
woman, who is blind, has been going on her rounds 
led by a boy apparently eight years of age. One 
morning she appeared before me with twin babies in 
her arms, saying she had come to give me her babies. 
I saw that she was blind and examined her eyes, then 
I said, " If I take your babies you must stay and 
nurse them for me. I will treat your eyes and give 
you your food for taking care of them for me." I 
asked her if she would give me the other boy. 
" Oh, no," she said, " he has to lead me about." " But 
if I cure your eyes you will not need him to lead 
[153] 



A Glimpse of India 

you," I answered. She consented to be treated and 1 
gave her a room in the hospital. At first she would 
disappear for a few days to visit her old friends by the 
river, but she became more contented to stay as time 
went on and now the sight of one eye is partially 
restored. I told her of the Boys' Orphanage at Shah- 
jahanpore and of the Widows' Home there where she 
could care for her baby boys till they were old enough 
to go into the Orphanage and she consented to go 
there, so we are arranging to send her soon. 

There have been four deaths in the hospital this 
year. Rebecca Gowan, who had served so faithfully 
in the dispensary for ten years, came back to us very 
ill, but we hoped, by change from the hills and good 
care, she might regain her health. But it was too late, 
and after suffering patiently for three months she 
passed away quietly, trusting in Him whom she had 
loved and served nearly all her life. In her death the 
mission has lost an exemplary Christian and a faithful 
worker. 

We are just beginning to build a little church at 
Aonla, twenty miles from Bareilly, with the one hun- 
dred dollars which our cousin, Mrs. Day, and her 
Sunday-school class have sent me. Dr. Dease and I 
went out there to purchase the land and he has ar- 
ranged to have the church built of unbaked brick, 
with windows and two doors, and a grass mat for the 

[154] 



Decennial Conference at Calctitta 

people to sit on. It will cost perhaps fifty dollars more 
besides the price of the land, but this is already prom- 
ised, if needed, and the building will meet the need of 
the congregation for a long time. 

There has been a good number of converts in this 
place during the past year and it seems necessary to or- 
ganize a church and send a native pastor to teach them 
and keep them together. 

. I can hardly realize that I have been so long 
in India as this date indicates. 



[155] 



Part II 

Khetri, Rajputana 

1885-18Q6 



XII 

Call to Rajputana 



Khetri, Rajputana, May 8 y 1885. 

My dear M : 

Last February a native gentleman, secretary to 
the Rajah of Khetri, Rajputana, called on me in 
Bareilly and asked me if I would go to Khetri to visit 
the wife of the Rajah if I should be sent for officially. 
He said he had visited two lady physicians before com- 
ing to me and had learned of their ability and success 
and was taking his report to the Rajah. He could 
not tell who would be chosen. 

I did not suppose that I should ever hear from him 
again ; however I told him that if I should be sent for 
I could arrange my work so that I could spend a month 
with the Rani as was desired. 

About the first of March I received a telegram from 
the secretary asking me to be ready to leave for Khetri 
in ten days. I arranged my work as I had promised 
and on the ninth day the secretary arrived to escort 
me. He wished me to take an English nurse, my 
cook and any other servants necessary to my comfort, 
saying that I was not to regard the expense, so I 
thought I was justified in taking a native Christian 

[159] 



A Glimpse of India 

teacher, and a young lady friend as companion, for the 
secretary told me that there were no Europeans nearer 
than the railway station, seventy-two miles away. 
There were seven in our company beside the escort. 

When we reached the end of our railway journey 
we found very elaborate arrangements for our trans- 
port across the country. There was a camel chariot 
drawn by four camels, two palanquins carried by 
seventeen men each, two riding horses, and a few 
miles out from Khetri we were joined by two huge 
elephants. There was also a unique conveyance 
called a rath drawn by two beautiful white oxen ; this 
was for the native women. There were more than 
one hundred men servants sent for our service. 

I need not tell you that this was a very novel and 
enjoyable journey though it was slow and rather 
wearisome, for with all our different conveyances and 
the changing from one to another there was not much 
bodily comfort. Our chariot had not easy, pliable 
springs like a home carriage \ the elephant shook us 
up and down and when we were in the palanquins we 
were swung as in a hammock and fearfully shaken. 
The first twenty miles in chariot and palanquins were 
quite long enough to make us hail with pleasure our 
camp, where we found a tent ready for us, and a most 
enjoyable breakfast prepared by my cook who, with 
the other servants, had gone on in advance. We 
[160] 



Call to Rajputana 

rested through the day and about four o'clock started 
on the next stage of our journey, arriving in the early 
morning at Koth, a large Mohammedan city in the 
Khetri state, where the Rajah had a rest-house. 

Before we resumed our journey in the afternoon 
we mounted one of the elephants and rode through 
the city. The elephant was told to kneel and a ladder 
was placed against his side for us to mount. When 
we were seated in the howdah the elephant raised him- 
self on his front legs and we held on tightly to the 
sides of our little carriage while with a mighty heave 
the animal gained an upright position. The mahout 
or driver sat on the elephant's neck and guided him 
with his feet and an occasional endearing word. 

It soon became known that one of the ladies was a 
doctor and when we returned to the house we found 
quite a number of people who had come to make 
their salams and ask for medicine. 

It was quite three o'clock when we started for 
Khetri, the longest stage of our journey. It was as 
tiresome to the men as to us and my cook fell asleep 
on his horse and slipped off without awaking. 
After a while it was noticed that his horse was rider- 
less and one of the men went back and found him 
asleep in the sand. We ladies several times during 
the forty miles changed from palanquin to chariot 
and to elephant to rest our weary limbs, but like all 
[161] 



A Glimpse of India 

things our journey had an end and in due time we 
were housed in a tent in Khetri, and we remained in 
tents until the 20th of April. 

We were told on our arrival that the Rajah and 
Rani had gone to a place three miles distant for a 
change, so we felt secure of a few hours rest before 
being obliged to meet them. They returned before 
noon and a messenger was sent to us with their 
salams and a request that we would come to them at 
four o'clock. We went at the appointed time and 
were received by the Rajah in his palace. After a 
short conversation he showed us his library, and then 
conducted us to the Rani's palace and presented 
us to her in a simple and courteous manner. The 
Rani rose and extended her hand to receive us, 
with her face uncovered. She led me to a chair be- 
side her with the other two ladies next me, while the 
Rajah seated himself at her left and talked to her and 
to us in a very pleasant manner. Fourteen of the 
court women stood just behind the Rani, seven on 
each side, ready for her service. They were very 
handsomely dressed. 

After a little time the sister of the Rajah came in 
and going to the Rani bowed to her and was then 
presented to us, and the Rajah immediately took his 
leave, leaving us to enjoy the society of the ladies un- 
restrained. As this was a formal call we did not re- 

[162] 



Call to Rajput ana 

main long but took our leave after I had made an 
appointment to visit the Rani professionally the next 
morning. 

After I had been here about two weeks and the 
Rani showed signs of improvement the Rajah pro- 
posed that I remain as physician to the women of 
the palace. This was most unexpected and required 
much thought and prayer before I could decide to 
leave my work in Bareilly and the missionary society 
which had cared for me for so many years ; but each 
day as I became more acquainted with the people and 
saw the grand opening for missionary work, a field com- 
prising so many thousands of people with no mission- 
ary or religious teacher in this part of the country, I 
began to see the hand of the Lord in bringing me here 
and the more I prayed the more I saw the Lord in it 
all, and I accepted the proposition on condition that 
the young lady who had accompanied me as com- 
panion be allowed to remain with me, and that we 
both be allowed to work among the people as Chris- 
tian women. 

The Rajah make no objection to this, so I have 
engaged to remain here two years, after which I will 
be at liberty to go to America if I wish. Both the 
Rajah and Rani are very kind and say that they would 
like me to remain permanently, though they will not 
urge me to stay longer than the two years for which 

[•63] 



A Glimpse of India 

I have engaged to remain. They say that my name 
will always remain on the palace register and they will 
regard me as their own as long as I live. I would 
not have accepted the situation for the salary only, 
for I have enjoyed my work in the mission, but there 
is a great opportunity for missionary work here with- 
out expense to the Society in America, and it seems 
to be an opening of which some Christian should take 
advantage, so, as I have been called here, I see no 
reason why I should not be the one to start a work 
here. 

I have had very good success in my practice since 
I came and I find it very pleasant. I like living out 
among the natives. They are very kind and friendly 
and we visit among them freely. I believe this is the 
best way if we hope to reach them and win their 
confidence. 

As soon as I could conveniently do so I spoke 
to the Rajah asking permission to open a school for 
girls, and he not only gave full consent but said he 
would use his influence to induce his people to send 
their daughters to us, so we have now eighteen bright 
little girls coming to us every morning. The Rajah 
gives them a pound of wheat flour every morning to 
encourage their attendance, this being equal to what 
they would earn as a day's wages. He also gave to 
each a new skirt and head covering, so that they could 

[i6 4 ] 



Call to Raj put ana 

come to school in clean clothes, and he promised to 
give an extra pound of flour every Saturday to those 
who are not once absent through the week. 

Miss Pannell, my companion, teaches the girls, and 
the Rani has engaged her to teach her and some of the 
court women. 

We find the Rajah and Rani most interesting peo- 
ple, noble and generous, and so kind and considerate 
that we can hardly realize that they are not Christians. 
If we might only be the means of bringing them to 
Christ how glad I should be ! Will you not join us 
in prayer for their conversion ? All things are possi- 
ble with God. I am sure that there is some one here 
to be saved by our coming. The Rajah and his secre- 
tary are the only English-speaking persons here beside 
ourselves. 

We brought a good number of religious books, por- 
tions of Scripture and hymn-books, all in the Hindi 
language, and these we distribute as we have oppor- 
tunity. I suppose there are more than thirty persons 
here who are already singing our hvmns for we have 
taught them to all who are willing to learn. Some of 
the hymns are very popular and the singing women 
of the palace sing them to the Rani every evening. 
The Rani savs our hymns are purer than theirs and 
she likes them much better. Think what a change 
this is, for some of their hvmns are so vile that we 

[165] 



A Glimpse of India 

would not listen to them. Now Christian hymns 
reach every woman in the palace. We find that we 
can sing religion to these people when we cannot 
preach it openly. I do pray that we may see some 
fruit from our labor here and that we may be very faith- 
ful in improving every opportunity to present Christ. 

A house is being repaired for us and we hope to 
move into it soon as it is getting to be too hot to re- 
main in tents much longer. 

It is a native house without a window in it and we 
shall probably not enjoy it very much but it will be 
arranged so that we can endure it for a while, until 
the new house which the state will build for us later 
will be ready for occupancy. 

The place is a pleasant one. It is situated in the 
valley and surrounded on all sides by low hills. On 
one of the highest of these are a fort and palace in 
which the seven wives of the late Rajah live. He 
died at the age of twenty-seven years leaving nine 
widows, all, I believe, childless. 

The present Rajah is an adopted son and was edu- 
cated for the position which he now fills. He has 
but one wife. The Rani is a very bright and beautiful 
woman about twenty-two years of age. I have not met 
so charming a native lady since I have been in India. 
The Rajah is well educated and the people seem to 
respect and like him as a ruler. 
[166] 



Call to Rajputana 

I enjoy my work here. I have opened a dispen- 
sary for the women and children of the city and sur- 
rounding villages, but have not had many patients 
coming there yet, as the people seem afraid of us ; not 
having been accustomed to meet white people they 
lack confidence in us, and seem to fear to take any- 
thing from a Christian's hand. 

We are the only Christians in this native state, but 
there seems to be a number of good Hindus here who 
practice self-denial and pray often to their gods, be- 
lieving that by long prayers and bathing and abstain- 
ing from meat they are working out their own salva- 
tion. 

I quite enjoy spending an hour with the Rani. She 
is very good and sincere, and she talks so much like a 
Christian that I sometimes think she is not far from 
the Kingdom. She sits at her prayers for two or three 
hours every day, besides attending to all the bathing 
and ceremonial purifications that her religion enjoins 
upon her. 

June ioth. 
I returned to Bareilly on the 25th of April and re- 
mained there just a month settling my affairs and mak- 
ing over my work to my successor. It was not an 
easy matter to leave my home and all my interests in 
Bareilly. I did not quite realize what it would be 
[i(5 7 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

when I accepted this situation, but now that it is all 
over and I am back in Khetri I feel quite at home, 
and watch with new interest the opening and develop- 
ment of the work. 

The people here are Rajputs and are different from 
the people of Northern India in their language, habits, 
and food. Their temples, too, are quite different. 

We have a very good house but — think of it ! All 
this hot weather we have been without doors, except 
the one at our bedroom ; all the other entrances are 
covered with straw mats which can be rolled up. We 
are having doors made and they will soon be hung. 
The birds, squirrels, and lizards have full liberty all 
through the house, but we do not mind them unless 
they make too much noise or get into our food. 

July 28, 1885. 

I hope you are less anxious about me now that ne- 
gotiations — apparently satisfactory — have been con- 
cluded between England and Russia. I do not think 
we should be in immediate danger even if there should 
be war. India is much better protected — has more 
English soldiers, military stores, and railways, than be- 
fore the mutiny, and the natives are more loyal to the 
government than at that time. 

Fancy my learning to ride an elephant, yes, and a 
camel, too. I took my first ride on the camel ten 

[168] 



Call to Rajputana 

days ago and rode with ease about four miles. The 
camel driver sat in front and I sat behind him on a 
side-saddle tied on the back hump of the camel. The 
camel kneels down for the person to mount and alight, 
and the motion then is something dreadful. You are 
thrown back when the animal unfolds his fore legs 
and thrown forward when he raises himself on his 
hind legs. I can ride on the elephant with almost as 
much ease as in a carriage, so you see I shall be quite 
ready for a speedy flight if war should come. 

I called last evening on the families of the prime 
minister and his brother, the former prime minister. 
One of them has a wife and four children, the other 
has two wives, who are sisters, but there are no chil- 
dren. Both families are wealthy. The women were 
weighted down with jewels ; they know no other life 
than the seclusion of their homes, sitting on their cots, 
chewing pan, admiring their jewels, and being waited 
on by their servants. 

We asked if the little girls might attend our school 
and the ladies said they could not allow them to come 
with the children we have but they would like them 
to be taught if we could come to them. 

The eighteen little girls in our school are learning 
to knit and are interested in their work as well as in 
their lessons. 

The Rani has a lesson regularly every day — often 

[i6 9 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

for two or three hours. She can write an English 
letter in a very good hand, and read short sentences in 
English. She says her life is much happier because 
of our being here ; she has longed for a friend. Her 
court women are all in the position of servants to her. 

July io> 1885. 

My dear M : 

I have had a visit from the Rajah's secretary 
who came with a request that I would celebrate my 
birthday — which occurs on the eighteenth of this 
month — in the American fashion. He said that the 
Rani and several of the ladies from the palace would 
like to come for a little visit, and that some of the 
native gentlemen would like to come and pay their 
respects. 

It is the custom here to make a birthday anniversary 
a high day ; visits are paid and valuable presents sent. 
I am told that the Rani is having a very beautiful 
gold chain or necklace made for me and she wishes to 
come and put it on my neck herself. 

I told the secretary that I was not accustomed to 
wear anything of the kind and I would prefer that the 
Rani would not do it, but he said that it will give the 
Rani great pleasure to present it to me and I must not 
refuse, so I suppose I must accept it and wear it some- 
times when I go to the palace. I am trying to think 

[170] 



Call to Rajputana 

what I can do to please the women on the great oc- 
casion. I might follow a German custom and have 
a bran pyramid with the proper number of wax tapers. 

August ^.th. 

My birthday party was a success, I think, for all 
seemed to enjoy it. Our sitting-room up-stairs has 
white walls pannelled in blue, and the white lace cur- 
tains at the doors were looped with blue ribbons. A 
thin white floor-cloth was spread over the blue and 
orange striped carpet showing the colors through, giv- 
ing quite a pretty effect. 

I borrowed a white marble stand from the Rajah's 
secretary and wreathed it with myrtle and on it was 
placed my birthday cake — which I made myself 
— heavily coated with white frosting. 

About four o'clock the Rajah and his suite came to 
call. The prime minister and principal men came 
up-stairs with the Rajah and the others remained be- 
low. The Rajah offered congratulations and said it 
was a happy circumstance that my fiftieth birthday 
should occur in Khetri and he hoped that I would see 
many more with them. Other complimentary 
speeches were made, the prime minister referring 
to my successful work among them. 

A little time elapsed after the gentlemen retired be- 
fore the Rani arrived accompanied by the chief 

[171] 



A Glimpse of India 

officials of the state, who remained below, while the 
Rani and her women came up-stairs. The Rani 
made a pretty little speech of congratulation and said 
how happy she was to have me with her and what a 
benefit to the women and children of the state was 
my presence and my medical knowledge. " You are 
to me in the place of a mother," she said with a 
charming smile. She commented on the delicate ap- 
pearance of our " white room," which she said gave 
her pleasure. 

Miss Pannell and I made an effort at general con- 
versation to include the women and I distributed pan 
among them — a point of native etiquette which we are 
careful to observe. That for the Rani was wrapped 
in gold leaf and for the others in silver leaf. 

This visit lasted about half an hour, and when the 
Rani rose to leave she fastened a beautiful necklace 
about my neck, then all made their salams and 
retired. 

The state band played outside all through both 
visits. 

After all this ceremony was over Miss Pannell and 
I sat down to enjoy a quiet cup of tea and a slice of 
the cake which had graced the party, and so ended 
my fiftieth birthday, the most unique of all my birth- 
days, for had not royalty shed lustre upon it ? 

Have I ever told you that we are living in a tomb ? 

[172] 



Call to Rajputana 

It has been repaired and remodelled sufficiently to 
make it a habitable house. The person for whom it 
was built was cremated and his ashes were carried to 
the Ganges and sprinkled upon its waters. We never 
think about its being a tomb unless some one mentions 
it to us. It stands in a garden and is quite artistic with 
its arches and pillars — prettily carved — supporting the 
domed roof. It is built of stone and has a stone floor. 
Formerly there were no partitions but it has been 
divided so as to make two small side rooms one of 
which we use as a pantry and the other for a store- 
room for trunks and clothing. The rest of the space 
we have converted into three rooms by hanging cur- 
tains in the arches. The walls are frescoed, each 
room being done in a different tint. The dome is 
blue — the sky tint — and shades down into a rosy 
flush to meet the white walls which look as delicate as 
porcelain. It is really a very pretty place and we very 
much enjoy our cozy home. 

September I$th. 
Early this morning I went up to the palace to see 
the Rani and found her getting ready for her worship. 
When I saw all that had to be done before she was 
ready to say her prayers I could not help wondering 
how many of our people would pray if they had to go 
through such a process. 



A Glimpse of India 

The maid whose duty it is to prepare everything 
had washed the room in which the water was heated 
as well as the one in which the Rani bathes — which 
must always be done just before her prayer time. 
The Rani put on a clean yellow silk sari, letting 
loose her hair which flowed over her shoulders. She 
looked very pretty and the very image of simplicity. 
When quite ready she enters a large brass cabinet in 
which are placed all the articles required in her wor- 
ship, and there she sits, without having taken any 
food, until three o'clock in the afternoon, saying her 
prayers over and over and bathing in wine a little 
image of Krishna. About a teaspoonful of wine is 
poured over the image, which is about two inches in 
height, and then she drinks this wine. 

The Rani had previously told me about this worship 
and said that it was not the same that she was taught 
in her mother's home. When she was married and 
came to Khetri to live a Pundit was sent to teach 
her the form of worship observed here. She said that 
she did not like it, that it seemed foolish to her and 
she did not get any comfort from it, only that she was 
obeying what she was taught to do. She said that 
she wrote to her mother, describing the worship, and 
she wrote back telling her that she must stop it at 
once, as they were teaching her to drink. 

I am trying to persuade her to take a glass of milk 

[174] 



Call to Rajputana 

before she goes to her prayers as she is not strong 
enough to go without food so long every day, and I 
do not see how she can be benefited by the treatment 
unless she keeps up her strength. 

The Rani has some fine dresses and elegant jewels, 
which she showed us the other day. One of her 
state dresses is a wonderful production. It is a deli- 
cate yellow in color and of very thin material, but the 
skirt is so heavy that I could hardly lift it from the 
floor. It is cut in small gores and is seventy yards 
wide, trimmed around the bottom with silver lace a 
quarter of a yard in width. A jacket of the thinnest 
gauze material with a veil of the same completes this 
lovely costume, and with it she wears pearls on her 
head, neck, and arms. She is small and has a bright, 
pretty face with large black eyes, and is very refined 
in her manner. 

No one sits in her presence until she invites them 
to do so, and no one goes into her apartments without 
having received permission to enter. I do not know 
when we shall learn all the " ins and outs " of native 
court etiquette; we have made several mistakes, I am 
sure, but the Rani overlooks them. 

December jtb. 
Last month we had a very pleasant visit to Jeypore. 
The Rajah was obliged to go to meet the Viceroy, and 

[175] 



A Glimpse of India 

as he intended to take the Rani with him he invited 
us to accompany her. We were delighted with the 
prospect of this novel journey of a hundred miles 
across country with such a procession as we knew 
there would be, for the royal people in India never 
travel without a host of followers. There were three 
hundred soldiers, a brass band, and one thousand men. 
It took one hundred men to carry the flagstaff, which 
was in one piece, unjointed. There was a palanquin 
for the Rani, one for her sister-in-law, who is spend- 
ing a year with her, one for the little princess and one 
for me. There were seventy-five men to carry the 
palanquins. Then there was an elephant for the 
Rajah, one for the princess and her attendants, and 
one for Miss Pannell and me when we wanted to 
change from the palkis. There were over two hun- 
dred camels, some for riding and others for carrying 
the luggage and for the servants. The tents with 
their furnishings were carried on seventeen ox-carts. 
To complete the cavalcade there were two hundred 
horses, and ten native conveyances covered with white 
cloth and drawn by fine-looking white oxen for the 
women attendants of the Rani, and for the twelve 
schoolgirls we were taking with us. 

Six camels drew the three gun-carriages on which 
were guns to fire a salute as we entered the towns 
on our way. I must not forget the treasury cart, 

[176] 



Call to Rajputana 

which carried the money for our expensive jour- 
ney. 

Perhaps you can imagine something of the appear- 
ance of such a procession. 

The men were all dressed in Oriental costume, the 
long upper garment and pajamas or drawers, and a 
sash of red cloth. Their turbans were red, yellow, 
pink or green ; such a variety of color made our pro- 
cession look quite gay among the green fields through 
which we passed. We marched from twelve to thirty 
miles a day and were five days making the journey. 
We stopped at night and the camels were unloaded, 
tents put up, beds made, and our food cooked and 
eaten, and after a refreshing sleep were always ready 
for the next day's journey. We enjoyed it all very 
much, and happily no serious accident occurred. 
Now and then an unruly camel would run away and 
throw off his load. A few chairs were broken and my 
cook grieved over his quilt which had been torn by a 
biting camel. 

It was amusing to hear the remarks made by the 
men who were sitting outside our tents talking over 
the adventures of the day. Some of them had very 
funny experiences. Natives enjoy a joke or anything 
funny more than we do, if that is possible. 

I could almost write a book about this journey and 
our stay in Jeypore where we remained a full month. 
[ ^77] 



A Glimpse of India 

The reception of the Viceroy was grand. If I had 
time I would write you all about it, but even then 
you would get but a faint idea of the affair. The 
floral decorations and the illuminations were beautiful. 

We had a fine large house not far from the palace 
where the Rani stayed. We had taken with us every- 
thing that we would need for housekeeping so that we 
were verv comfortable. The Rajah gave us a car- 
riage and pair for our own use and we improved the 
time in sightseeing, for there is a great deal to see in 
Jeypore. The city is about one hundred and fifty 
years old and is called one of the finest native cities in 
India, with its palaces and fine public buildings and 
its beautiful gardens. The public garden has a large 
collection of rare and beautiful trees and plants, and 
there is quite a Zoo connected with it. 

At ten o'clock on Friday morning — the twentieth — 
I called, by appointment, on Her Excellency, Lady 
Dufferin at the Residency, where the Viceroy and 
party are being entertained. The very cordial recep- 
tion I received relieved me from all embarrassment 
and we had a delightful chat for nearly an hour about 
medical work. She was especially interested in some 
of my experiences in this department. Her idea is to 
" form a National Association with a Central Com- 
mittee and a Central Fund, with branches all over 
India managed locally to promote female medical 

[178] 



Call to Rajputana 

tuition and medical relief, and the establishment of 
hospitals for women all over the country, and to raise 
subscriptions for this object." 

Khetri, Feb. 22, 1886. 

My dear Miss G : 

I wish you were here to-day to see my cozy 
little home and to sit down with us in our little draw- 
ing-room over a jar of coals to have an old-fashioned 
visit this evening. 

I have two women with me this winter, one for the 
dispensary and one for the school. Both are very 
pleasant and companionable. We have fine times 
these lovely days going out into the country on excur- 
sions, and occasionally we go out with the Rajah's 
party on a hunting trip. It gives a little variety to 
our rather monotonous life., and the young women 
enjoy it exceedingly. I do not dislike it myself, for 
comfortable arrangements are made for us and we 
have a good elephant to ride. We keep at a distance 
from the shooting party and are only onlookers. 

A few days ago we went out tiger-shooting. We 
could not ride all the way on the elephant, nor even 
on the horses up the steep mountainside. When 
we arrived at the place where the tiger was supposed 
to be the Rajah placed the men at certain distances 
and gave us seats a little way behind himself with men 



A Glimpse of India 

on each side of us who were ordered to fire if the tiger 
came in our direction. Then about one hundred men 
surrounded the place and made a great uproar with 
drums and horns, screaming loudly, and presently a 
huge tiger sprang out from under the bushes in the ra- 
vine and started up the hill opposite us. When it was 
in just the position for a good shot the Rajah fired and 
the animal turned its course toward the gun and came 
in our direction. The men all fired and continued to 
do so until the poor tiger was so wounded that it was 
glad to lie down and play dead for a while. When 
he began to show signs of life again a few more shots 
ended his existence. It took fifty men to bring the 
huge beast home to Khetri. 

This shooting affair occurred only about four miles 
from our house. As soon as the tiger was dead the 
Rajah sent a messenger on horse to tell the Rani that 
it had been killed and would be brought in to Khetri 
at once for her to see. 

The New Year finds us pleasantly situated, with 
the satisfaction of feeling that the time we have spent 
here has not been without good results. Our ac- 
quaintance among the high-caste families has greatly 
increased and is to us a gain in influence among all 
classes. 

I hope you have seen the letter I wrote to M- 

about our visit to Jeypore. We took twelve of our 
[180] 



Call to Rajputana 

schoolgirls with us and they had lessons regularly 
every day. Seeing their pleasure in the trip quite 
added to our enjoyment. Miss Pannell took them all 
to the public gardens one day and they were much in- 
terested in the strange animals and birds they saw in 
the Zoo. Although monkeys are common enough 
where the girls reside those in the Zoo were particu- 
larly interesting to them, there being several varieties 
from other countries. The antics of these sagacious 
animals caused many a hearty laugh. 

The girls enjoyed wandering through the lovely 
garden but they did not touch a flower much as they 
admired them. 

On our way to and from Jeypore I found opportu- 
nities to give medicine and advice in the villages that 
we passed. In one I gave a little book to a man, but 
on our way back he brought it back to me saying that 
he was afraid to keep it. 

Last week the Rajah came to examine the school 
and he expressed himself much pleased with the prog- 
ress the girls are making. Some of them are very bright 
and read quite fluently. They are themselves very 
proud of their attainments. 

They like to take a peep into our rooms. One day 
Miss Pannell was using the sewing-machine and a lit- 
tle girl who was looking on said, " Oh, Miss Sahiba, 
what a wonderful thing ! You must worship anything 
[181] 



A Glimpse of India 

that does such wonderful work." Miss Pannell said, 
" No indeed, we worship the One who gives the 
brains and the skill to make the many wonderful 
things that are in the world. We should worship only 
the One Great God." 

April ioth. 

We have had a little patient here for two days, a 
little girl who was stolen from her home by a wicked 
woman, who took the child's jewels off her and 
threw her into a well. Fortunately the water was 
only about two feet deep and the poor little thing 
crawled into a crevice on the side of the well and so 
escaped being killed by the stones which were thrown 
in after her. She was in the well all night and being 
afraid to answer the woman when she called to her 
she was supposed to be dead. In the morning two of 
the Rani's servants went to the well to bathe and as 
they let down their brass vessel to draw up water the 
little girl caught hold of it and called out, " Take me 
out of the well ! " They drew her out and brought 
her to me. 

I did not find her badly injured — only a few flesh 
wounds, and her nerves shaken from fear and from 
being so long in the water. She kept in bed for sev- 
eral days, refusing to get on her feet, but finally be- 
gan to rally from the shock and to-day is almost well. 
[182] 



Call to Rajputana 

The Rani has been very kind to the child. Shear- 
ranged to have her taken to the palace yesterday and 
gave her the worth of her jewels in money and two 
suits of clothes. The little girl is the daughter of a 
poor widow who lives in the city. The wicked woman 
who stole her has been put in jail. 

April 1 2th. 

News came to-day of the death of one of the wives 
of the late Rajah. She was the foster-mother of the 
present Rajah, the only mother he ever knew, as he 
was given into her care in his infancy. This Rani 
had gone on a visit to her relatives, was taken sud- 
denly ill and died before news of her illness reached 
Khetri. The Rajah started at once to perform the 
ceremonies due from a son, and carried her ashes to 
sprinkle upon the waters of the sacred Ganges. 

Immediately after the news of the Rani's decease 
reached the palace it was communicated to the head 
men of the towns and villages of the state that all 
the heads of families might shave their heads, which 
is the sign of mourning among the Hindus. At the 
same time an invitation was given to the feast in 
honor of the deceased Rani on the twelfth day after 
her death. At the appointed time about five thousand 
men and boys arrived and when all were assembled 
they were seated in rows of fifties on the ground with 
a broad passage between the rows for the servers of 



A Glimpse of India 

the feast to pass. On such occasions the feast con- 
sists of a sweet made of crude sugar, ghee or clarified 
butter, and some kind of grain formed into balls, and 
each individual receives three of these balls, the three 
weighing a little less than two pounds. A number of 
men were appointed to distribute these from baskets, 
handing three balls to each individual until all were 
served. This was an interesting sight to me ; every- 
thing was done so quietly and so systematically, and 
in two hours it was all over and the people were ready 
to return to their homes. 

A number of the relatives and friends of the late 
Rani had been invited to come in and mourn and con- 
dole with the family and every day these village women 
gathered in the library adjoining the Rani's apart- 
ments where they sat on the floor for hours weeping 
and wailing and speaking of the good works and the 
kindness of the departed Rani. 

One day the Rani asked me to speak to the women 
and tell them how wrong it is for them to destroy the 
girl babies that are born to them, when they feel that 
there are more girls in the family than they want or 
can afford to marry off. Quite a crowd of women 
were assembled and the Rani quieted them and asked 
them to listen to what I had to say. I spoke through 
an interpreter, as they would hardly understand my 
Hindustani, and they listened very attentively and oc- 
[I3 4 ] 






Call to Rajputana 

casionally remarked to each other about something that 
was said. I told them of the great sin in God's sight 
of taking the life of a little one that He had given 
them to take care of for Him, and this seemed to give 
some of them a new idea. Poor things ! they had 
never thought of it as sin for it had become a custom 
among their people. The expense attending a mar- 
riage is a source of great evil and where there are sev- 
eral girls in one household to be married the family is, 
in many cases, ruined financially. 

The Rani has told me that in the case of very poor 
families in the state the Rajah gives a certain amount 
toward defraying the marriage expenses hoping that 
this terrible custom of girl-infanticide may be done 
away with. Of course the marriage of a poor girl 
would not be very expensive as the arrangements 
would be simple and not much expected in the way of 
dowry. The natives say, " A girl takes, but a boy 
brings.'* 



[•85] 



XIII 

A Summer Resort 



Mount Jbu y April 12^ 1887. 

Dear M : 

We have been away from Khetri since last 
September, spending some months in Agra, and re- 
turning to Jeypore, where the Rajah had some busi- 
ness to attend to on the 15th of February and on the 
26th of March we left for Abu Road where I re- 
ceived your letter. 

The Rajah came on with his camp a week before 
we did as we were to come by rail. He engaged 
three private carriages for us, and a luggage van and 
truck for our belongings. Our carriages were 
separated from the train and left at a distance from the 
railway station and we went into them at night, the 
women being carefully shielded from sight so that 
none of the servants saw their faces. 

The Rani was carried to her carriage door in a 
small covered conveyance borne by her men servants 
and a red cloth was so arranged that she could step 
from the conveyance into the carriage where Miss 
Pannell stood to receive her. 

The windows and blinds were closed but as soon 

[186] 



A Stimmer Resort 

as the train was well started and at a distance from 
the station all were thrown open and the Rani en- 
joyed a full view of the fields on each side bathed in 
the lovely moonlight, and they were kept open in the 
day also when the train was in motion. We had 
strict orders to close the windows at the first signal 
of approach to a station and the orders were obeyed. 

The Rani thinks it is delightful to ride in a railway 
train in the daytime when she can have all the 
windows open and see the lovely green fields and 
trees. It is the only time that she ever sees much of 
the outside world. 

We left the train at Abu Road where we remained 
for a week in the house of a native prince which he 
placed at our disposal until suitable arrangements 
could be made for so large a party to come up the 
mountain. The palace women had each a queer lit- 
tle conveyance, carried by three men, to take them 
the fifteen miles up the mountain. 

The Rani, Miss Pannell and I had each a palki 
with twelve men and our luggage was carried by 
coolies and camels. When we came to a spot where 
we could get water we stopped and our cook made 
tea and toast for us of which we ate seated in our 
palkis. I quite enjoy these simple ways of living. 
With the few dishes which we carry in our lunch 
baskets we can sit down anywhere and take our food, 

[187] 



A Glimpse of India 

under a tree or by the roadside, it does not matter 
much. 

We have been on this " sacred mountain " of the 
Hindus twelve days. You have read in the history 
of India of Mount Abu, its temples and sacred lake, 
which tradition says Krishna, one of the Hindu 
deities, dug with his fingers, thus making it a holy 
bathing place for his followers. The lake is one mile 
long and half a mile wide with several small islands in 
it on which are rocks and palms, making it look quite 
picturesque. 

The famous Jain Temple is two miles from here. 
It is not known when it was built but it was 
repaired in 1209 ; it is said that it cost eighteen mil- 
lion rupees. It is white marble with fifty-two life- 
size statues of the goddess that the Hindus worship \ 
the carvings on the ceilings and the pillars are quite 
wonderful and well worth travelling far to see. This 
is the most ancient of the several Jain temples here. 

The climate is delightful. The pink and white rose 
hedges are in full bloom just now and there are also 
several varieties of geraniums, which make the place 
look like a bit of fairy-land. 

Many years ago this mountain was the resort of 
devotees who wished to spend their life in seclusion 
and devote their time to the performance of religious 
ceremonies. They lived in caves and among the 

[188] 



A Summer Resort 

rocks and subsisted on berries, seeds, and wild fruits. 
Tigers and bears abounded then as now and occasion- 
ally one of these devotees would be devoured by them. 
A native man was to-day killed by a tiger about four 
miles from here. 

We are living in a house owned by the Maharajah 
of Jodhpore. It is well furnished and the garden is 
pretty and bright with roses and many other flowers. 
The Rajah and Rani are in a house near us which be- 
longs to the same Maharajah. On the fifteenth of 
the month his son, the young Prince of Jodhpore, will 
arrive and he will occupy a part of this house with his 
tutor, an English gentleman, and we will go to a hotel 
to board. 

Abu is the sanitorium for the English soldiers of 
Rajputana, and there is a school here for the daughters 
of soldiers. The barracks make the place appear 
quite populous, and the church is well attended. 
The Agent General of Rajputana and many Europeans 
have their summer homes here. 

Khetri, Feb. 10, 1888. 
Dear Sister : 

Your letter giving me an account of Hattie's 

condition has decided me to leave for America as soon 

as I can arrange to do so. It will take a little time 

to settle up my affairs and secure my passage but all 

will be done as soon as possible. 

[189] 



A Glimpse of India 

The Rani is quite well and I feel that as far as she 
is concerned my work as a physician is accomplished. 
She is not at all happy at the thought of my leaving 
Khetri ; she says she thought I would stay with them 
the remainder of my life, still she says, " I know that 
your sister is nearer to you than I am, and that your 
heart is with her." 

I have learned to love the Rani and her dear little 
daughter very much as well as some others here. Our 
stay in Khetri has, in many respects, been very pleas- 
ant. 

The Rajah has kept his agreement with me to 
the letter. It is now three years, or will be on the 
ninth of next month, since I came here and I have be- 
come accustomed to my work and my surroundings. 
Our frequent trips to the country and distant villages 
have relieved the monotony of what would otherwise 
have been a lonely life and though there was much to 
enjoy in them there was usually a call of need for my 
services and I have been able to benefit many suffer- 
ing ones. 

I hope to secure a passage early in April. 

Our little school has-been a great pleasure to us 
both ; the girls are chiefly of the servant class, chil- 
dren of men under the Rajah's jurisdiction, and nearly 
all of them were betrothed when they came to us. 
They have been leaving, one by one, to go to their 
[ 190] 



A Summer Resort 

husbands' homes, but what they have learned here 
will not be easily forgotten. We are so thankful to 
have had nearly two years of seed-sowing in these 
young hearts. We cannot hope to make much im- 
pression on the adult population who are so grounded 
in their own religion that they have no desire to learn 
of anything better, but we can see that our three 
years here have won us the confidence of the people 
and opened the way for more effective work in the 
future. 

Each of our pupils as she leaves is given a Gospel, 
a hymn-book and her school-books, together with pen 
and paper, and we tell them that we want them to 
write to us and let us know about their life in their 
new homes. 

We are hopeful that each of them may be able to 
teach others something that she has learned and so 
become a light in her home and in the community 
where she lives. 

Glasgow, Scotland, May p, 1888. 
My dear Sister : 

I left Khetri March 10th and went direct to 
Agra, intending to have a little visit with friends there 
before rejoining the Rani in Jeypore where she was to 
meet me. Miss Knowles, who is to be my travelling 
companion to America, met me in Agra and as soon 

[191] 



A Glimpse of India 

as my business there was over she accompanied me 
to Jeypore, where we spent ten days very pleasantly. 
The Rajah placed a carriage and pair at our disposal 
and we visited all places of interest, for Miss Knowles 
had not been there before. 

One evening the Rani gave an entertainment to 
which we were invited. We found her sitting in 
state on a dais surrounded by her women ; she invited 
us to sit beside her and we had some pleasant conver- 
sation before the entertainment began. It was a 
Nautch, a dance by professional dancing girls, a favor- 
ite entertainment with natives. 

The Rani was beautifully dressed and looked quite 
happy as she talked about her little girl, and her hope 
that I would come back to them. 

The day before we were to leave the Rajah an- 
nounced his intention to take the Rani to Bombay to 
see us off. He had engaged private carriages on the 
train, one for the Rani and one for Miss Knowles and 
me. I sat with the Rani several hours each day re- 
turning to Miss Knowles before evening and for our 
meals. 

A house had been engaged in Bombay for the Rajah 
and Rani, and we went to our friends in the mission. 

When we went to the steamer the Rajah got a car- 
riage for the Rani who went to the dock but did not 
alight. Her carriage was covered with a red cover- 
[ 192] 



A Summer Resort 

ing and when we went to bid her good-bye at the 
carriage door the cover was partly drawn so that we 
could speak with her. The Rajah went on board 
with us and was shown over the steamer and was 
much interested in all that he saw. He said to me, 
" I shall go to England some time." 

When we arrived in Liverpool the steamer on 
which we expected to sail for America was just going 
out of the harbor, so we were obliged to wait for an- 
other, and we took advantage of the delay and went 
to the Lakes, returning to Glasgow instead of Liver- 
pool, as we found we could transfer and sail from this 
port. Boxes of curios and other things had been sent 
from India for the Queen's Jubilee, and though the 
great exhibition was over we were in time to see 
some of the things. 

We expect to sail for New York the day after to- 
morrow. 

(Letter from the Rani of Khetri. — Received in 
America.) 

Agra, India, Dec. n, 1888. 
My dear Miss Swain : 

I have written two letters to you and the 

Huzur Sahib has also written to you but we have not 

yet received an answer. We will hope to hear from 

you soon. I am very anxious to hear from you about 

[ 193] 



A Glimpse of India 

your health. Please let me know how you are. I 
hope the rest and change are doing vou good and that 
you feel stronger. I trust that you will be able to re- 
turn to India soon. We want you to come back to 
us and we will be glad if you will bring your sister 
with you so that you may have her company and not 
be alone. Khetri will not seem like home to me with- 
out you. I am feeling pretty well and shall be glad 
when my troubles are over. 

It is very cold in Agra. Bai is getting to be a 
clever girl. She can read and write Hindi nicely and 
has written a letter to her father in Jevpore. She will 
write you a little letter in Hindi to enclose in this let- 
ter. She is learning the English alphabet and can 
print the letters nicely from a book. 

With my love and salams, and Bai's love. 

I remain, 

Your loving Beti, 

S. K. 
Bai — princess. 
Beti — daughter. 

Brindisi, Italy, Nov. jo, l88p. 
My dear Sister : 

Just a month to-dav since we left New York. 
We are waiting for our steamer which is due here to- 
morrow morning and will sail in the evening, reaching 
Bombay, probably, December 16th. The journey has 
[ 194] 



A Summer Resort 

been very pleasant so far though we have sometimes 
wearied of the long railway journeys. 

In Liverpool we arranged to take Cook's Tourist 
Tickets, and after a few days' rest we went up to 
London and spent five days in sightseeing, visiting 
the Dore Gallery, of which I must tell you another 
time* From London we went to Paris, arriving just 
after the close of the Exposition, but we visited the 
Eiffel Tower and went up in the elevator. When we 
reached the second landing, 360 feet, I stepped out but 
the rest of the party went to the top. It is a magnif- 
icent structure. 

After four days of enjoyment in Paris we went to 
Lucerne, in Switzerland, where we remained three 
days. We went by steamer to the foot of Mt. Rigi 
and up the mountain 5,500 feet by train. On the 
steamer we met Mrs. Hannah Whitall Smith and her 
daughter who invited us to join them. The view 
from the top of the mountain was grand. The 
glaciers in the distance, the high peaks around us, and 
the soft, feathery clouds below us, with now and then 
a green mountain top on which were houses, made a 
lovely scene. It was warm and bright in the sun- 
shine where we were but at Lucerne it was dark and 
cloudy ; the great cloud hung over the town and lake 
like an umbrella. Lucerne must be one of the love- 
liest spots on earth in the summer time. 

[195] 



A Glimpse of India 

One evening and the next forenoon were all the 
time we had for Milan, where we arrived on the 
twenty-fifth, but we went to the Cathedral, and then 
started on to Venice, the city of canals and gondolas. 
Our stay there was delightful, but too short for all 
that we wished to see. When we had been to St. 
Mark's Square and Church, the Palace of the Doges, 
the glass works, and the lace factories, we congratu- 
lated ourselves that we had seen some of the wonders 
of the Old World. We passed over the Bridge of 
Sighs, but the door leading to the prison was walled 
up. 

We three unprotected females arrived in Venice at 
night and fortunately found an official at the station 
who spoke English. He inquired what hotel we 
wanted, engaged a gondola for us and attended to our 
luggage and before we had time to realize our situa- 
tion we were gliding softly through the Grand Canal 
to our hotel which we reached in about twenty-five 
minutes. The hotel people were so kind and so glad 
to see us that we felt at home at once. Every one 
seemed desirous to make our stay pleasant. 

I must tell you a little more about the lace works. 
We saw the women making the lovely point lace sets 
which are so expensive in America and so much 
cheaper here at the factory. A number of women 
from the prison are employed in making lace, without 

[196] 



A Summer Resort 

remuneration, and as the factory belongs to the 
government naturally the lace can be sold much 
cheaper than if made by paid labor. There are many 
girls who are learning and these must work three 
years before they begin to earn anything. There are 
a few women who get six cents a day. The overseer 
said that most of the learners are girls from good 
families who do not need to work but are learning for 
their own pleasure. He showed us some pieces of 
lace one yard of which took one person six months to 
make. 

The distance from Venice to Brindisi gave us 
twenty-four hours of travel. We saw the beautiful 
olive groves which line the shores of the Adriatic on 
the left. Brindisi looks like an ancient town and the 
people seem poor and ignorant. Their houses look 
very uncomfortable, but I notice that there seems to 
be plenty of wine and beer here as elsewhere in Italy. 
Our hotel is not a pleasant one; it is cold and not 
very clean and the food is wretched. The farming 
country around is beautiful and we have quite enjoyed 
our rides. 

Bombay, India, Dec. 18, l88g. 
We sailed from Brindisi on the second of this 
month and reached Bombay on the sixteenth. I am 
resting a few days at the mission house before start- 
[ 197] 



A Glimpse of India 

ing on my journey up country. We had pleasant 
weather all the way except that a head wind impeded 
our progress somewhat and made it a little unpleasant 
to sit on the hurricane deck in the daytime. We 
travelled second class from Brindisi as the expense is 
much less, but the table fare was not the thing for me. 

The first sight that met my eyes as we came up to 
the dock was two happy faces from Khetri, one my 
old and trusted servant, and the other a servant of the 
Rajah who had been sent to make arrangements for 
my journey. 

I was very glad to see them and felt irresponsible 
at once. After receiving their salams and the good 
wishes of the Rajah and family with a letter of wel- 
come, I left everything in their hands and drove with 
the other ladies to the mission house, glad enough to 
get where I could have good food and a bed that does 
not rock with the waves of the sea. 

Miss Knowles left us yesterday to visit friends in 
Poona for a few days, then she goes to Calcutta. 
Miss Waugh left last night to join her parents in 
Allahabad. When I am ready to go up country I 
will go to Agra to spend Christmas with Miss Yer- 
bury, and I hope to attend the North India Conference 
which will meet on the 2d of January. 



[198] 



XIV 
Return to Khetri 



Khetri, Jan. j, 1890. 

Here I am at last in the house which was my home 
so long, tired and worn from my long journey, but I 
shall soon get rested and be all right again. 

Miss Pannell, the young lady who was my com- 
panion when I first came here, was quite ready to 
come back to Khetri with me. We travelled alone 
with fifty native men who had been sent to escort us 
across the plains, and were out two nights in tents, 
travelling by day as it was safer for us with so small 
an escort. 

I was so late in arriving in the country that the 
Rajah and Rani were obliged to return to their state, 
but they arranged for my journey so I had no trouble 
at all. It seems good to be back but I miss home 
friends and church privileges more than ever before. 

I found my house in order for me, curtains up and 
carpets down and everything arranged as well as they 
know how. 

We were warmly welcomed ; the Rani seems very 
happy to have us back again, and we are delighted to 
see the sweet little girl baby who was born while I 
was in America. 

[ 199] 



A Glimpse of India 

February loth. 

Yesterday was Sunday, and we had such a good 
time all by ourselves studying our Bible lesson. I 
have taken up Hannah Whitall Smith's method for 
this year and find it most interesting. I think that we 
shall gain as much Bible knowledge, if we continue 
on this line, as we would if we were to listen to a 
sermon every Sunday. 

I have been a little lonely and homesick since the 
excitement of meeting old friends has passed away. 
We see a great work to be done here in Khetri but 
the soil is dry and hard ; one needs a faith that will re- 
move mountains to make an impression. 

Yesterday we fasted and prayed for more spiritual 
life, and for four persons whom we very much wish 
may become Christians and work with us. Will you 
not join us in our prayers for these persons ? 

We are having delightfully warm days and the birds 
are singing merrily around our house, doing what they 
can to cheer us in our work. Our Polly says, 
" Thank you ! Call the doctor, Polly is sick ! 
Give me a kiss ! " and then she whistles a quick 
waltz tune which she has learned, but she generally 
breaks down in the midst of it. 

There are but few sick people to look after these 
days. The prevailing disease just at this time is 
smallpox and many children have died from it. The 

[ 200 ] 



Return to Khetri 

Hindus worship the goddess of smallpox and seldom 
use medicines for it. Occasionally a Mohammedan or 
a low-caste person comes for medicine for a child. 

I vaccinated myself last Friday and my arm begins 
to sting and pain me. I fear I shall be quite upset 
by it. 

February 2 ph. 

. . . I miss the church services much more 
than I did when I was here before. We had ours 
yesterday which warmed our hearts. Miss Pannell 
read two of Moody's sermons from his book entitled 
" Heaven," while I listened and enjoyed them. 

In the evening a Hindu gentleman called and was 
greatly interested in another reading from the same 
book. He said he would like to buy a copy for the 
truth was given so simply and plainly that he could 
understand it. He seemed affected by Moody's view 
of the life hereafter and his thought of this life as a 
schooling place for heaven. 

On Friday I was called to see two wives of a high- 
caste Hindu. Poor women, they are sighing for 
children ! There have been four childless wives in 
that family. Not to have children is considered a 
great calamity. The elder wife cried as she said, 
" If God would give us even a little girl we would all 
be quite happy." While I was in America these two 
women went on foot up to the snowy mountains ; an 
[201] 



A Glimpse of India 

old religious mendicant whom they consulted told 
them that if they would walk all the way to Badrinath, 
they would surely have children. They must sleep 
on the ground without shelter in order to attain their 
heart's desire. They suffered all this hardship but 
are yet disappointed. 

February 26th. 

Last evening we were invited to dine with the Rani 
at the palace ; a Parsee woman from Bombay was 
among the guests. The Rani's apartments looked 
very light and pretty with the many brightly lighted 
lamps, and the little tables for each of us were well 
filled with all sorts of native food. All sat on the 
floor on mats or cushions but I was honored with a 
stool. 

The Rani took occasion in the presence of all the 
guests and servants to pay me most elaborate compli- 
ments. She spoke of the time when I came to her 
and she was so ill, and after a time her dear little 
daughter was born to her, and now she was in perfect 
health. In real oriental praise she said, "The Miss 
Sahiba is so white that if she were in the most dense 
darkness her face would be a light." This custom is 
like ours of giving toasts after dinner. 

We have had some excitement this month. A 
company of balloonists from America came here to 
[ 2 ° 2 ] 



Return to Khetri 

give an exhibition and made a very successful para- 
chute descent, coming down very gently about half a 
mile from the palace gardens from which they as- 
cended. It was a pretty sight, and I think all the 
Hindus repeated the name of their gods, which ex- 
pressed their prayer for the safe return of the men. 
The state gave them a thousand rupees and the Rani 
sent the young man who assisted a present of one 
hundred rupees with this message, " Try and get into 
some other business soon which will not endanger 
your life so much." She thought his mother and 
friends at home must feel very anxious about him. 

After this exhibition there were sports in the garden. 
Three elephants ran a race, and one of them smoked 
a native pipe and took a prize. This was our elephant 
which we ride. She is very clever. She can carry a 
lantern, and she fans herself by holding the fan in her 
trunk. She dances and makes a salam to us. 

March 2d. 
The Rani's little girl has been ill with a touch of 
bronchitis, and as soon as she was well enough we 
started for Awa, the home of the Rani's mother, 
about two hundred miles from Jeypore. I stopped in 
a rest-house near the railway station while the Rani 
and her suite went on into the country about eleven 
miles to her mother's place, which is a small native 
[203] 



A Glimpse of India 

state yielding a yearly income of about two lakhs of 
rupees. The state was much larger at one time but 
through constant warfare with other states several 
villages and much land have been lost. 

The third day after the Rani left me she sent for 
me to come out and spend one day and night at her 
mother's house, so a carriage and pair was sent for 
me with an ox-cart for my luggage. There was also 
a Rath for my women servants and a camel for the 
men. We had a pleasant ride and in due time 
reached the little city of Awa, consisting of a fort, a 
large Hindu temple, the palace and about three hun- 
dred houses built mostly of stone. We were taken 
to the fruit garden where we found tents pitched for 
me and my servants. Very soon everything was nicely 
arranged for housekeeping and comfort. My cook 
made a charcoal fire in the little furnace which we al- 
ways carry with us and in a few minutes brought me 
a cup of tea, so refreshing after the ride in the heat 
and dust. 

The next thing to be done was to send my salams 
to the Rani and her mother to let them know that I 
had arrived, and my messenger soon returned with the 
request that I would come to them in the evening. 
Food was sent from the palace to be cooked by my 
servant for my breakfast. A messenger came for me 
in the afternoon and I went to the palace where I 
[204] 




^ 



Return to Khetri 

found the Rani in full dress seated in the court with a 
crowd of women attending her. It was her brother's 
birthday and twenty-four guns were fired in his honor. 
He came to be introduced to me. The Rani's mother, 
her father's sister, her brother's two wives and other 
women were then introduced, and after this ceremony 
we all sat down and looked at each other. The brother 
said that it was very kind of me to pay them a visit, 
and the Rani's mother said, " You have become a 
mother to my daughter." I replied that in one way I 
had but that she was the true mother. 

The young wives did not speak but looked at me 
with their hands over their mouths. They were richly 
dressed and sparkled with jewels and gold lace. Their 
husband excused himself to go and hold a reception 
for his gentlemen friends who had come with presents 
for him ; some brought money, others fruit. 

At eight o'clock my dinner was sent. The Rani 
asked if I would eat there where we were sitting, and 
when I told her that I did not like to eat before so 
many I was asked to go up three flights of stairs to a 
very pretty room where a little table was brought in 
and my tray of food was brought and placed upon it. 
I sat upon the floor, washed my hands and began to 
eat. A crowd of women came to see me use a knife 
and fork, for these necessities are as much a curiosity 
to them as some of their customs are to us. 
[205] 



A Glimpse of India 

My dinner consisted of twelve or fifteen different 
dishes prepared by my cook. These people put so 
much red pepper in their food that I cannot eat it and 
for that reason I prefer to have my cook prepare my 
meals. Another large tray of food was sent up to 
me from their cook-house, for which I expressed my 
thanks and then it was taken away. 

Soon after finishing my dinner I begged leave to 
withdraw to my tent promising to call the next morn- 
ing before leaving. The next day I was up in good 
time, ordered my breakfast, and had my things packed 
for the cart and when everything was ready I drove 
up to the palace to bid the good people good-bye. 
They gave me hearty greeting, and trays of fruit 
were brought and placed before me, and the Rani's 
mother presented me with one hundred rupees in 
gold. I refused them at first but consented to take 
them when I found that they would be offended 
if I did not. This is a custom among wealthy 
natives. 

March 16th. 
There as been a great deal of sickness here since 
January and of late influenza has made its appear- 
ance. I have had five cases this week. The patients 
suffer such extreme pain that it keeps me busy nurs- 
ing them as well as giving them medicine. They 
[ 206] 



Return to Khetri 

live in small huts near us so I can go to them any 
time in the day when I am needed. I am glad the 
hot weather is so near at hand. The poor people 
have so few comforts in their homes that it is very 
hard for them when they are sick. I hope this influ- 
enza will pass away with the cold weather. I am 
having very good success with my cases j the only 
trouble is that when they are first taken the pain in the 
left lung is so very severe that for about three days I 
am obliged to keep up fomentations and then when 
the crisis comes there is great prostration. It is a 
difficult thing to tone up a patient with the poor food 
they have, and there are their Hindu restrictions 
about diet, no meat, no eggs, no animal food of any 
kind. 

I am planning to go seven miles out into the coun- 
try to-morrow to the place where the state is building 
an artificial lake or reservoir for irrigating the fields 
in that vicinity. There has been a great deal of sick- 
ness out there and I shall have a busy day. Many 
have died from pneumonia and influenza, but the 
trouble is less than it has been. Miss Pannell will go 
with me. Our cook will go out to-night with the 
things needed for our stay and will have our break- 
fast ready for us when we arrive. We shall go out 
on our elephant leaving here about five o'clock in the 
morning for our two hours' ride. 
[207] 



A Glimpse of India 

April 3d. 

Miss Pannell and a Parsee lady went with me to 
see the works at the reservoir and we spent the day 
there. Seventeen hundred people, men, women and 
children, are at work digging the earth and there are 
twelve hundred animals also for carrying the loads. 
It was a sight to see so many people at work digging 
and loading, and the children driving the animals with 
their sacks of dirt hanging on each side of the animal 
like saddle-bags. 

The Rajah's secretary has built a pretty little house 
on the top of the hill near the works, and we stayed 
in it, and had our breakfast and afternoon tea, and at 
five o'clock we mounted the elephant and had a 
pleasant ride home, taking a different road from the 
one we took in the morning. 

We found a number of sick people and I attended 
a good number of cases and tried to help all who 
seemed ailing in any way. 

April 26th. 

We have had a slight shower to-day which has 
cooled the air and made it very pleasant. This would 
have been a fine evening for a ride but the Rajah has 
taken our elephant with him and has gone to attend a 
wedding about thirty miles away. A little girl was 
married there three days ago, and her people being 
wealthy, they made a great wedding, inviting hundreds 
[ 208] 



Return to Khetri 

of people. The Rajah and his staff went, and for 
the wedding present they took one male elephant, 
several horses, and some jewels and money. When 
the Rajah's daughter is married these same people to 
whom these valuable presents have been given will be 
expected to give as much in value to him, so their 
wedding presents are simply an exchange. I believe 
that one hundred thousand rupees are to be expended 
on the wedding of this little girl. 

May 22d. 

It is really a blessing to us to have ice in this hot 
weather. The Rajah has a camel post to bring it from 
Rewari — seventy-two miles — and we have four pounds 
a day, enough to cool the drinking water and give us 
ice-cream twice a week. 

Yesterday we had jugged wild hare for dinner. 
One of the Thakurs at the palace sends us one every 
week skinned and dressed ready for cooking. We 
have plenty of muskmelons and pineapples. 

One hot evening last week we dined at the prime 
minister's. The Rajah and Rani were there and 
about one hundred women. We were all taken up 
on the housetop which is a flat roof with a high 
balustrade around it, so we were quite hidden from 
view; here and there were small openings in the wall 
through which we had a fine view of the city and the 
surrounding country. 

[ 209] 



A Glimpse of India 

The gentlemen sat below in an open veranda and 
in the courtyard. There were about two hundred 
of them but only certain ones were invited to dine. 

I was requested to send my cook to prepare the 
food for Miss Driver and myself but I preferred to 
have it cooked at home and sent there to us. We 
had a table by ourselves in one corner with our own 
women servants to wait on us. Our cook had made 
some ice-cream for us which was better than all the 
food on such a hot evening. The lady of the house 
sat with her other guests while we were taking our 
dinner. 

About half an hour after dinner we begged to be 
allowed to leave, thinking that the others would rather 
eat their dinner without us. The Rani dined at 
twelve o'clock and came home at three o'clock in 
the morning. She must have been very tired for she 
was burdened with heavy jewels and sat in the midst 
of the women on a cushion to be gazed at. The 
Rani's baby made herself very attractive ; whenever 
she caught a glimpse of me she called out " Nani " 
which means " grandmother." Sometimes she wakes 
in the night and calls for Nani. She is a dear little 
one and very clever. 

May 25th. 

I have had such pleasant news about one of our 
former schoolgirls. She was the oldest and brightest 
[210] 



Return to Khetri 

among them but shy and modest ; when Miss Pannell 
was giving out the books the first morning of school 
she did not seem willing to take one but when the 
others had taken theirs she put out her hand slowly 
to receive one, and Miss Pannell saw that she was 
crying. A few days later when the girls had become 
a little accustomed to their white teacher Miss Pan- 
nell said to her, "Naraini, why did you cry when I 
offered you the book the other day ? " " Oh, Miss 
Sahiba," she replied, " your hands are so white that I 
thought you might be a leper and I was afraid to 
touch it." 

She was the daughter of one of the cooks at the 
palace and her marriage arrangement had been made 
with a house servant of a nobleman of another state, 
and when she had been about two years in our school 
her husband came to take her to his home. She had 
not been long in her new home before the nobleman's 
wife heard that she could read and sing and she sent 
for her to come to her. Naraini went and was asked 
to sing; she sang one of our Hindi hymns which 
pleased the lady so much that she had her come often 
to read and sing to her. When she left school we 
gave her the books she had used and also a hymn- 
book, a Gospel and other books, among them " The 
Indian Pilgrim " — on the plan of " Pilgrim's Progress " 
— and " Religions Weighed," both of which have 
[211] 



A Glimpse of India 

been very helpful in mission work all over India, and 
we are rejoiced to know that one, even, of our girls 
has such an opportunity to use the knowledge she 
gained with us to benefit others. " My Word . . . 
shall not return to Me void but it shall accomplish 
that which I please, saith the Lord." 



[212] 



XV 
A New Companion 



Khetri, May 2J, l8pO. 
My dear Dr. Greene : 

I still feel that it was God's will for me that 
I should come back here ; it seems to me that my 
work for this people is not yet done. I have much 
to encourage me. The people are much more ac- 
cessible than they were during my former stay among 
them ; they come to me in such a childlike way to 
be taught and to be cared for. 

A Hindu pundit called on me one evening and 
before he left he asked me to repeat to him the bless- 
ing that we ask before eating, and when I had re- 
peated it and explained why we use it he wrote it 
down and also wrote the little children's prayer " Now 
I lay me down to sleep." The next morning he 
came again and brought it for me to read in Hindi, 
saying that he had translated it and would teach it to 
his five-year-old daughter. 

Several weeks ago I lent him Moody's book on 

" Heaven," which made a great impression on him ; 

he read it to some of his friends, and some parts of it 

he read to the Rajah. Every one who has heard it 

[213] 



A Glimpse of India 

seems to be favorably impressed. A Parsee gentle- 
man to whom I lent it said that he liked it so much 
that he now wanted to read the Life of Christ. He 
bought a Gospel of Matthew at a railway station and 
has read it with great interest. He brought it to me 
and I opened it and read a few verses from the last 
chapter and told him that this was our Lord's com- 
mand to go to all nations and tell all people how they 
might be saved from sin, and that this is the reason 
why missionaries leave their homes and friends and 
go to other countries to teach the people of Christ and 
His love for the world. He asked me if it was a sin 
for a person to change his religion. 

This man really seems to be a seeker after truth. 
I gave him a Bible and marked some passages for him 
to read. We are praying that he may find what his 
soul is hungering for. Will you not join us in prayer 
for him ? I do long so much for some one among 
this people to accept Christ and become a worker 
among them. We feel that there are several who 
might come out if only one of them would have the 
courage to start. 

My dear friend and companion, Miss Pannell, who 
has been with me all the while until the last two 
months, was obliged to return to Bareilly as her mother 
is not well. She will remain there until cold weather. 
A lady from the Church Missionary Society in Agra 
[214] 



A New Companion 

is with me at present, whose coming was providential 
as otherwise I might have been alone all through the 
hot season. Miss Driver was a stranger to me but I 
find her a most desirable companion. She was very 
desirous to come to me to take treatment for rheuma- 
tism. She is a true missionary, improving every op- 
portunity to speak to and teach the children and the 
people. She came to India from the Mildmay 
Deaconess Home in London where she had been a 
worker for several years. A good preparation for 
work in India ! 

The good Father remembers me in every way even 
before I ask. 

The heat has been intense this week. On Mon- 
day the thermometer stood at 109 in the evening 
on the veranda and in the house it was 98 . The 
grass mats at the doors were kept wet and three large 
fans hung from the ceiling were kept in motion all the 
time. The next day the thermometer on the veranda 
registered 105 , but to-day it is cooler as it rained last 
night and there was a high wind. 

This hot season I have things more comfortable 
than ever before. The Rajah has made arrangements 
for ice to come from Delhi for himself and us and he 
has camels out at eight different points from here to 
the Rewari railway station. Every nine miles a man 
is stationed with a fresh camel. This enables us to 

[215] 



A Glimpse of India 

send to the station for bread and other things, so we 
now have more variety in food. 

The Rajah and Rani seem very happv ; their baby 
is such a little treasure to them. Her father takes 
great care of her and enjoys her clever little ways. A 
servant brings her down to our house nearly every 
morning or evening when it is cool enough. The 
dear little pet likes to come to see her Ndni, as she 
calls me. 

July ioth. 

I have had a number of patients to-day — some very 
disagreeable cases from among the multitude of the 
unwashed — but it is better to have work even if it is 
not very pleasant. 

I must tell you of an outing we took on the day 
the rains began. While I was in America the Rajah 
built a house about seven miles from Khetri on the 
top of a hill about fifteen hundred feet above the city. 
He thought it would be a cool resort for his family in 
the hot weather. He has several times suggested to 
us to go out and spend the day saving that we could 
stay there a while for a change if we found it cooler. 
We waited until we felt sure that the tiger and leopard 
that had been seen early in the season had disappeared 
and then decided to go out for a day. The Rajah had 
large fans put up in the room and grass mats hung at 
the doors, and sent out everything that he thought we 
[ «6 ] 



A New Companion 

would need, and gave us his secretary and two men 
on horses as an escort, and twelve men, six for each 
palki. We also had our elephant, but she could not 
go all the way as she was too tall to pass under the 
low branches of the trees on each side of the road. 

Our cook made arrangements for our meals and 
started on ahead in order to have our breakfast ready 
by the time we arrived. We rose at three o'clock, 
had our bedding rolled up and started the coolies off* 
with their baskets and bundles, and at five o'clock we 
mounted the elephant and set off with a train of men. 
We had not gone far when suddenly a dark cloud ap- 
peared and a dust storm broke upon us. We de- 
scended from the elephant as quickly as possible and 
got into our palkis and closed the doors. When the 
wind quieted a little we told the men to go on, but we 
had not gone more than a mile when down came the 
rain and we and all our things were thoroughly soaked, 
so we turned our faces homeward. By the time that 
we reached Khetri it was bright and clear again and we 
began to wonder what we should do for breakfast as 
the cooking utensils and the food were all on the way 
to the country house. 

After considering the matter we concluded to try 

again so the men were called and we started in our 

palkis. We enjoyed winding around the mountain 

paths. The scenery is exceedingly pretty and seemed 

[217] 



A Glimpse of India 

new to me although I have been over this narrow road 
several times. Most of the way there is a steep prec- 
ipice on one side, and there are only two places 
where conveyances can pass each other. We reached 
the house about ten o'clock with fine appetites and the 
cook soon appeared with a breakfast of a savory dish 
of mangoes and onions with rice. After breakfast we 
inspected the house and courtyard and the surround- 
ings. 

The men had placed our cots under the fan in the 
large room, and we donned our dressing-gowns and lay 
down for a sleep but sleep would not come. We had 
brought Frances Willard's " Glimpses of Fifty Years," 
so we read a little of her spicy life to break the mo- 
notony, for we were in the most lonely place one 
could imagine ; not a human being near except our 
company; we even had to send two miles for drinking 
water. You will not wonder that we concluded that 
we would rather stay in Khetri in the heat. 

We dined at five o'clock, packed our things and 
sent them home, and started on our return journey at 
six; we had covered three miles of the road and were 
just entering the valley road when a terrible storm of 
wind and rain came upon us. Our men could not 
stand with the palkis so they set them down and 
guarded them on the lower side to keep them from 
blowing over. The water came down the hill in tor- 
[218] 



A New Companion 

rents. There appeared to be two streams, one from 
the hills on the right and one coming down the road 
in front of us, and they rushed along with such force 
that it seemed as if we must be swept away. The 
secretary's horse had become frightened at the light- 
ning and he had to dismount. He ordered the coolies 
to take up the palkis and go on but they refused, declar- 
ing that they could not carry them against the stream. 
As it was the only thing to do I told the men that I 
would fee them well if they took us home safely, and 
this put new strength into them; they took up the 
palkis but it was almost impossible to get up the hill, 
the water came down with such force. We had only 
one lantern for the whole procession so we had to 
keep close together and pick our way. The men 
were very careful, and with thankful hearts we passed 
the dangerous places in safety. I was reminded of 
the landslide in Naini Tal when we had to wade 
through the water on the roads and were carried 
across the mountain streams on our servants' backs. 

We reached home about nine in the evening and I 
gave out tea for all the men and coal for a fire to dry 
their clothes, and they were made happy with a gift of 
ten cents each. They seemed to think that the rain 
had served them a good turn. 

We felt a little rheumatism for the next few days 
but neither of us was really ill. 
[219] 



A Glimpse of India 

All this made a change in our life but I do not care 
to have the same occur again while the rainy season 
lasts. Seventeen feet of water came into the new 
reservoir of which I wrote you. 

To-day I have been giving a lesson in cooking to 
the prime minister's cook. The man brought all the 
materials and I told him how to put them together. 
The minister is ill and I have been treating him for 
about four months. He has improved so much that I 
am hopeful of his full recovery. Nearly all of the 
Hindus here show me great kindness ; even those who 
at first were opposed to my coming here. I think it 
was just the thing for me to come back here for a while. 

A Brahman widow has just come in and sat down on 
the floor behind me ; she is saying over prayers on 
her beads and will continue her occupation until I 
finish my letter. 

And here come the Rani's little ones with all their 
servants, so there will be no more quiet for me. The 
children are both lovely. Dear baby is such a treasure. 

October 1 6th. 
I wonder if I have told you of our meetings here. 
I began a Sunday morning service in August. Two 
Parsee gentlemen with their wives and children and a 
Hindu gentleman formed our first congregation ; 
afterward others joined us so that now we have quite 
[ 22 ° ] 



A New Companion 

an audience. For our first lesson I took the story of 
the Creation and found that only one of the listeners 
— with the exception of my own household — had ever 
heard of the creation of the world and of mankind as 
we have it in our Bible. You can imagine how in- 
terested they were as I told the story of Adam and 
Eve in their purity, of their sin and their punishment, 
then of the promise of a Redeemer. 

The story of Abraham's call and of his life, and of 
his descendants becoming God's chosen people inter- 
ested them very much. 

We have had the genealogy of the Christ — the 
promised Redeemer — His birth and His early life. 
Last Sunday we had a lesson on John the Baptist, 
who came to prepare the way for the Christ, and the 
story of Christ's baptism, and next Sunday we will 
have the temptation and compare it with the tempta- 
tion of our first parents. The pundit said to me once, 
" I find that these Bible lessons help me very much in 
my own religion ! " 

At five o'clock every Sunday afternoon we have a 
meeting for our servants and any others who will come 
and we use the same lessons that we had in the morn- 
ing. We have the men read the lesson and give us 
their understanding of it and after they have given us 
their thoughts about it we give them ours. We teach 
them to sing and they enjoy our hymns. There are 
[221] 



A Glimpse of India 

three men among them who would make good 
teachers for their own people if they should become 
Christians. 

At seven o'clock Miss Pannell and I go up to the 
palace and have a meeting with the Rani and her 
women. Sometimes these meetings are very interest- 
ing and sometimes quite discouraging. It is hard for 
earthly royalty to submit to the requirements of the 
King of kings. They require submission from their 
own subjects but their religion teaches them that they 
may do what they please, their position in the world 
saves them. The Rani admits that this is not reason- 
able, and I am trying to show her from God's Word 
that there is no other way to be saved but by Christ, 
that He and He alone can forgive sin and make us 
ready for heaven. We are praying that the Holy 
Spirit may become her teacher in this great mystery 
which has puzzled so many. 



[ 222 ] 



XVI 

A Pilgrimage 



Khetri^ Nov. ^, 1890. 
My dear Sister : 

I would like to live in tents the most of the 
time in the cold weather ; it is such a good way to 
get strong. Yesterday morning we got up early to 
have our photographs taken on the elephant. The 
photograph was a failure but we had a long ride which 
gave us a good appetite for our breakfast. These 
rides are very invigorating. 

Miss Pannell is back again so we are a family of 
three, besides the parrot, the dog, four guinea-fowls 
and a few hens. We keep the fowls under high bas- 
kets in our front yard where a man stands day and 
night on guard, not to watch the fowls only ; he is 
our regular watchman. We have five men appointed 
for this duty who change every two hours, day and 
night, so we are never left alone for an hour. 

Yesterday was the anniversary of my sailing from 
New York twenty-one years ago. We celebrated it 
by giving a party for our native lady friends and their 
children. The Rani came, the prime minister's wife, 
two Parsee ladies each bringing one child, and the 
[223] 



A Glimpse of India 

pundit's wife and daughter, with numbers of attend- 
ants with each lady. We had all the drapery looped 
back so that our three rooms were thrown into one. 
I sent to the palace for wall lamps to light the house. 
Every room was prettily decorated with flowers and 
the verandas were enclosed with tent walls and were 
furnished with floor cloths, chairs and the organ. 
Miss Driver had planned some games for the enter- 
tainment, and we had the band outside to play at in- 
tervals when we wished. For the two Parsee ladies 
and ourselves we had tea and cake. The Parsees 
have no caste prejudice so they eat with us. Pan 
rolled in silver leaf was prepared by a Brahman for 
the Rani and the other Hindu ladies. We had a 
very pleasant time and the ladies enjoyed it exceed- 
ingly. It was such work to receive them and send 
them away ; all the men servants were banished until 
we got them — under a cloth canopy — into their convey- 
ances. The last one went away about eleven o'clock. 
This morning I distributed sweets among my serv- 
ants and a few others who do us little favors and 
bring us flowers sometimes. It is customary on such 
occasions to give to the servants also but I had not 
the time to do it yesterday. A great many hearts 
have been made happy. These little acts bring us 
nearer to the people and cause them to feel the interest 
we have in them. 

[ 224 ] 




Andriyas, the Converted Faqir 



A Pilgrimage 

Our Sunday services are well attended and some of 
the people manifest considerable interest. 

Agra, Wednesday, Dec. 2jd. 

Miss Pannell and I left Khetri over a month ago. 
Our camp is in Jeypore but we are expecting the 
Rani and family here in a few days ; in the meantime 
I have been visiting some of my old friends in the 
mission at Cawnpore, Lucknow and Bareilly, and I at- 
tended the camp-meeting at Chandausi. Now I am 
here with my former student, Miss Yerbury. 

The Rajah and Rani have started on a pilgrimage 
to Benares, Calcutta and Jaganath. I am hoping that 
they will be willing for us to remain here while they 
make the journey. 

We have had a most interesting time in Khetri 
since I wrote you last. A very clever religious devotee 
from Lahore spent some time in the city giving in- 
struction in his religion ; then good old Andriyas, a 
converted devotee, who accepted Christ twenty-six 
years ago, came here on my invitation and remained 
with us a while. He came filled with the Spirit, 
ready to give his experience and tell the people why 
he became a Christian. We had a meeting on our 
veranda every morning and at evening he preached 
in the city and sometimes spoke in the palace. On 
Sundays we had service morning and evening in our 

[225] 



A Glimpse of India 

house and the Rajah and his men came. Every one 
liked the old man though at times he spoke very 
plainly about the idol-worship of the Hindus. He 
sang and played on a native instrument, and his sing- 
ing of Christian hymns was very effective and brought 
tears to many eyes. 

Andriyas was with us two weeks and gave the 
Gospel with power to many hearers. The Lahore 
priest had left before he came, for which I was sorry, 
as he might have been interested in this good man's 
experience. 

We shall continue our services as usual when we 
return to Khetri and I trust there may be some per- 
manent results. Three of our best servants are with 
us here and all of them are interested in reading the 
Bible. 

Christmas Day. 

I wonder how you are spending this Christmas Day ! 
We have been to the English church and heard a good 
sermon and joined in the communion service. It is a 
mission church and the clergyman is a plain, earnest 
Christian and a good preacher. 

Miss Yerbury has a great many presents from her 
patients to-day, Christmas cards, trays of fruit and veg- 
etables, besides other things of greater value. The 
presentation of a tray of fruit or vegetables is an 
oriental custom and is a very easy way for the poor 
[ 226] 



A Pilgrimage 

people to express their respect and gratitude for med- 
ical attendance when they are not able to give a fee 
for the doctor's services. 

Calcutta, March /, i8pi. 

We have travelled many miles since we left Agra, 
and already we have been twenty days in Calcutta. 
When the Rani's first child was born the parents made 
a vow that she should be taken some time during her 
childhood to Jaganath, below Calcutta, to have her 
head shaven. This religious act had been deferred 
much longer than the parents intended, for the little 
girl is now about seven years old, and the Rani began 
to think it time to fulfill their vow. They wished also 
to visit some of the ancient Hindu shrines which 
they could easily reach on their way to Calcutta. A 
number of poor people of the state who expressed 
the same desire were invited to go with them, and 
others who would be company for the Rani. There 
were altogether two hundred persons, including the 
servants. 

We left Agra early in January, going first to 
Allahabad, the capital city of the Northwest Provinces, 
and one of the sacred bathing places of the Hindus, 
where we remained four days. All the men of the 
party went to the river to bathe and have their heads 
shaven. A number of them became ill with colds and 
[227] 



A Glimpse of India 

fever and some with pneumonia, and for a while I had 
many sick people to care for. 

From Allahabad we journeyed to Benares, the sacred 
city of the Hindus all over India; it is a city of tem- 
ples and places for the pilgrims who throng the city 
every day of the year. I stayed at the Government 
Rest-House, and the rest of the party went into the 
city among the temples and near the river Ganges. 
The Rani became very ill here. Several of the com- 
pany after bathing and worshipping in the temples asked 
permission to return to Khetri, and the remainder of 
the party took the train for Gya, the ancient centre of 
Buddhism, now in ruins. The celebrated Buddhist 
Temple is the one thing of interest there. 

Our stay was only of a few hours; then we came 
to Calcutta. We are stopping in a wonderful house 
which will accommodate more than five hundred 
people. It cost six hundred thousand rupees. It is 
built like two houses joined in the middle with a large 
open court for each and a fine veranda on all four 
sides. I am in the second story which is like the one 
below. The Rani's rooms are opposite mine and the 
Rajah and his suite occupy the lower rooms. 

There is only one shrine which they wish to visit 
here. The prime minister and another official have 
gone to Jaganath to take a lock of hair to present be- 
fore the idol, which will take the place of the child's 
[ 228] 



A Pilgrimage 

visit and the shaving of her head. The Rani has not 
enjoyed the shrines; she says they are such filthy 
places. I think her faith in all these things is much 
shaken. In one way it has done her good ; she real- 
izes how very little she has gained in comfort or sat- 
isfaction after all their trouble and expense. She has 
never required me to accompany her to any of the 
shrines. In each city I have either stayed with friends 
or at the Government Rest-House, and have had a 
pleasant time. I have been to visit Miss Knowles 
here ; you remember she came out to India with me. 
I have also dined at Bishop Thoburn's. 

Yesterday the Rani went in a closed carriage to the 
temple of Kali, a few miles from Calcutta. On her 
return I asked her if she had a pleasant time and she 
replied, " No, I stayed just so long ! " measuring on 
her finger. She said the place was so filthy that she 
could not go in but turned away at once and got into 
the carriage saying that she was quite ready to return. 
She was disappointed, too, in what she saw in Alla- 
habad. At Fyzabad she invited me to go with her to 
the bathing ghat. The place was enclosed but the 
water was so muddy that she would not bathe, but 
she said that her little daughter might bathe if she 
wished. 

Agra, March p, i8pi. 

Our trip to some of the shrines of the Hindus was 
[229] 



A Glimpse of India 

quite interesting, in a way, and the journey has done 
me much good. If I were a Hindu I should prob- 
ably think I had been cured of all my infirmities by 
my visits to these idol temples. We were twenty 
days in Calcutta, then returned to Agra and shall prob- 
ably leave this week for Khetri. 

The Rani is living in another house at a little dis- 
tance from us. One evening Miss Yerbury gave an 
"At Home" in her honor and there were twenty 
ladies present. The rooms were beautiful with an 
abundance of flowers and the table decorations were 
lovely. The Rani enjoyed it all very much. She 
came into the room where we were taking refresh- 
ments but, of course, could not eat with us. Some 
fruit was provided for her and was sent to her carriage 
to be taken to her house. 

To-day we are to have a picnic in a lovely garden in 
which is a celebrated tomb. As this is a government 
holiday Miss Yerbury does not go to her dispensary 
so we take the opportunity to have a day out of 
doors. The air is delightful just now but we shall 
be glad of the shelter of a big tree at midday when it 
will be much warmer. 

Tenth. 

We had a fine time at our picnic yesterday. There 
were six of us ; two young clergymen, three lady 
doctors and a married lady. The garden is outside 
[ 230] 



A Pilgrimage 

the city and borders on the river Jumna. It is a 
pleasure garden with beautiful lawns and flowers and 
with a number of masonry platforms arranged for 
picnic parties. We sat on a carpet spread on the 
lawn and had our refreshments and when it was cool 
enough we had a game of badminton, which is an 
especially good exercise for ladies in this climate. Our 
whole party was invited to dine in the evening with 
another lady doctor who has just come out from Ire- 
land to join the Lady Dufferin Hospital here. 

I am getting rather tired of this long holiday away 
from my home and my work, though it is very pleas- 
ant here and I always enjoy coming to Agra. 

Khetri) April <5, 1891. 

We arrived here March 29th after four months of 
travel, staying at rest-houses or visiting friends. It 
seems good to be at home again. 

Miss Driver and I are trying to divide up our time 
so that none may be wasted for we want to make the 
best possible use of each hour of the day. We have 
begun the Chautauqua Course of Reading and shall 
spend an hour together each day with this. Then we 
have Geikie's " Life of Christ " — two volumes — 
which we hope to read for an hour each evening. 
With these and our Bible readings, teaching the serv- 
ants, my dispensary work and city visits, and the 

[231] 



A Glimpse of India 

many visits to the palace I shall not have much time 
to be lonely. I have not mentioned the hour or two 
each day that must be given to writing ; then the 
bath and meals must have their time and there are 
frequent callers from among the people around us. 
There ought to be time for going out for an airing 
and exercise, too. 

Eighteenth, 

I have had quite an interesting clinic at the dis- 
pensary this morning. A woman came to me who 
said she had no children. I asked her how long she had 
been married and she said, " Five years." " Have 
you never had a child ? " I asked. " Oh, yes," she 
replied, " I had a child four years ago, but it died." 
Then I asked her age and she said she was fifteen 
years old. Fifteen years old, five years married, and 
had a child when she was eleven years old ! I told 
her that she was not old enough to be a mother. She 
thought it very hard that I should turn her away 
without doing anything for her. 

On Saturday a little Hindu woman came in from 
the country to be operated on for ascites. I performed 
the operation and took away four gallons of water 
from her. I found that she had an ovarian tumor 
but as I had no assistant I could not operate for that, 
though I was sorry to let her go out of my hands 
without the second operation. 
[232] 



A Pilgrimage 

In the afternoon Miss Driver and I went out on 
the elephant to make calls in the city. I am sure 
you would have been amused to see us mount. A 
new pad had been made for her which brought our 
howdah up so high that we had to have a longer 
ladder than usual, and such a tip as we had when she 
rose on her feet ! we hung on as well as we could and 
had a good laugh over it afterward. 

We had some very pleasant calls on the native 
people. At one place the man of the family we 
called on seemed very friendly and the next day he 
returned our call and said his wife might come to see 
us some day if I would send my palki for her. 

May 15th. 
Our nearest neighbor brought his only daughter 
over to our veranda to see me this morning. Her 
nose had been pierced by a Hindu jeweller in order 
to have her marriage jewel inserted. I applied co- 
caine to lessen the pain but the child cried and 
screamed most pitifully. She is not yet six years old 
but the first marriage ceremony has been performed. 
She is now allowed to wear a skirt and chadar and 
looks like a miniature woman. Up to the day of the 
ceremony she wore a little jacket and drawers and a 
cap like a boy. She will now be taught to read and 
write. 

[233] 



A Glimpse of India 

On Tuesday of this week the Rani and her chil- 
dren and another native lady spent the evening with 
us. By looping back the curtains our three well- 
lighted rooms were thrown into one and the place 
looked really fairy-like, lacking only one or two foun- 
tains and some flowers to make it truly oriental. 
The Rani was very cheerful and enjoyed her visit. 
We showed her books and pictures and Miss Driver 
played on the organ and amused the children with 
games. The pundit had tea made for the Rani at his 
house and sent it in and it was served to her on a 
small table by one of her own servants. We sat at 
another table in the same room to drink our tea and 
it seemed very sociable. 

This is the coolest season for this time of the year 
that I have ever experienced in India. The people 
say that it is unfavorable and we shall have drought, 
for only a normal hot season is followed by plentiful 
rains. There is now very little water in the wells 
and the people in the city suffer from lack of water ; 
those who come to the dispensary these days are filthy 
for they have no water for bathing. 

June Jth. 

We had a most interesting Bible class yesterday. 
Six nationalities were represented and we used the 
Bible in Bengali, Urdu and English, for our congrega- 
tion included a Bengali, Parsee, Hindu and six or 
[234] 



A Pilgrimage 

seven Goanese, besides Miss Driver, who is English, 
and myself an American. 

Our lesson was the eleventh chapter of Matthew. 
When we came to the last three verses — the invita- 
tion of Jesus — I told them that the invitation was for 
them and for all people of all nations to-day just as it 
was for the people to whom Jesus spoke. They were 
quite touched and when I explained about the rest 
which Jesus gives and the burdens which we all carry 
until we accept the invitation and take upon us His 
yoke — which is easy — they seemed to take it in and 
get a fresh inspiration. At evening we had service in 
Hindi on the veranda for our servants and others and 
seventeen persons were present. Six children also 
came in and they helped nicely with the singing which 
they always enjoy. They are quite as attentive to 
the lesson as the older listeners. 

Some of our servants take as much interest in the 
service as they would if they were converted men. 
One of them reads his Bible every day but he has not 
declared himself a Christian. It is a hard step for 
these people to take for it separates them from their 
families and all their old associates, and often it means 
to them literally giving up everything for Christ's sake. 

'June 1 6th. 
My dear H : 

The Rajah and Rani have just completed the 

[235] 



A Glimpse of India 

marriage arrangement of their youngest daughter who 
is two and a half years old. The boy is five years 
old. It seems too bad that she should be given away 
so early, but the people have their own customs. She 
will remain with her parents till she is fourteen years 
of age, then the marriage ceremony will take place and 
she will go to her husband's home. The cost of this 
first part of the marriage arrangement — which we 
would call the betrothal — was eighteen thousand ru- 
pees, or six thousand dollars. 

We returned from our winter tour on the 29th of 
March, and had our house-cleaning done, carpets 
taken up, cleaned and mended, when just as they were 
down again and the house nicely settled the hot winds 
began to blow and everything was covered with sand 
and dust again. The carpets are only stamped cotton 
cloth but they look very well when they are clean. 

Would you like to know what we had for breakfast 
this morning ? I wonder if you will appreciate it. 
First there was a curry of mangoes and cucumbers 
cooked in butter with spices. This we ate with 
boiled rice, and it was delicious. We had bread nicely 
toasted and finished our breakfast with a fine musk- 
melon. I feel sorry for you poor people in America 
who cannot get anything to equal our curry. 

I get up about five o'clock every morning and go 
out in a bullock cart for exercise. The conveyance 

[236] 



A Pilgrimage 

has no springs and the roads are rough and stony so 
you can imagine what a jolting I get when the bul- 
locks run. It does me good, however, and gives me 
a good appetite. I went down to the gardens this 
morning for my early ride and found that the grapes 
— both purple and white ones — are nearly ripe. They 
are very abundant. 

July l8th. 

I had intended to have a birthday party for a few 
native ladies and to give a dinner to the Rani but it is 
so hot that I have decided to wait until the rains come 
and then celebrate. The Mohammedans are earnestly 
praying for rain. A few nights ago my cook with a 
number of others went away to the top of a steep hill 
some miles distant and remained all night praying that 
the rain might come, and this week they went out into 
the jungle on the same errand. 

To-day the Mohammedans are observing one of 
their festivals, the Bakhr I'd. A male goat is sacri- 
ficed in every family that can afford it and after it has 
been offered in sacrifice, it is divided among the friends 
of the family and portions given to the poor. This 
festival is in remembrance of Abraham's sacrifice of 
Isaac. 

The Rani's eldest daughter is here reading her 
English lesson to Miss Driver. She is quite clever 
[ 2 37 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

and is getting on fast in her studies. After her lessons 
are over she learns a verse of Scripture and she is 
learning to play on the organ and sing hvmns. She 
has quite a talent for music and loves it. It will be a 
great boon to her when she goes to her future home 
where she will live in seclusion. She sees the differ- 
ence between the teaching she gets from us and what 
she learns from their books and often gives her opinion 
about it. One day she said, " Miss Sahiba, our books 
are not good like vours." I spoke to the Rani a few 
days since about Bai's lessons, and said, " Rani Sahiba, 
Bai can never be a sincere idol-worshipper. She has 
learned too much about our religion for that." The 
Rani replied, " I know that, but your religion is good." 

Twentieth. 

We had an interesting service yesterday morning. 
The lesson was the seventeenth chapter of Matthew, 
the storv of the Transfiguration. All seemed inter- 
ested but a Parsee gentleman was particularly atten- 
tive. The service lasted an hour and a half. After 
the lesson any one is at libertv to ask questions but 
we do not enter into anv argument. The natives are 
very fond of argument and if thev begin I tell them 
they must argue with men not w T ith me. 

The wife of a native gentleman who attends our 
meetings occasionallv said to me one dav : "My 

' [238] 



A Pilgrimage 

husband is a much better man since he began to come 
to your meetings. He treats me better and does not 
get angry at little things as he used to do." We see 
a change in others, too. There were twenty-five 
present at the evening service. We explained the 
ninth chapter of Matthew and sang a number of 
hymns. Five men from the native band brought 
their instruments and played a hymn which they had 
learned through the week. Some of them could 
read so I gave them a Hindi hymn-book and they 
promised to learn more hymns. 

I have sent to the Mission Publishing House in 
Lucknow for Bibles, tracts and other books, for I 
like to keep a supply on hand to distribute to those 
who would like them. It is really wonderful to be 
able to work so freely among them, to have them ask 
for books, and to be willing to come to hear and be 
taught by us. 

There was a slight rain last night which has 
cooled the atmosphere a little. The thermometer 
stood at 122° in the sun yesterday, and it must have 
been no° in the house. 

September Iptb. 
Another Saturday has come round and I am re- 
minded that a letter for you should be on the way to 
Bombay. The time seems to pass more quickly each 
[239] 



A Glimpse of India 

year of one's life. The days are never long enough 
for all that I wish to accomplish. 

We have had more rain since I wrote you — sixteen 
inches in all. The average rainfall here is twenty- 
four inches. The fields are looking much better ; 
crops grow fast after a few showers but it is too late 
for them to mature well before it will be time to sow 
again. Two or three crops are raised on the same 
land in one year. 

Just now Miss Driver and I are especially inter- 
ested in chickens. We have some fine large English 
hens which are rare in this country. One has 
recently hatched five chickens, and another four 
guinea-fowls, beautiful little creatures. We keep 
them in a cage on the veranda and go out to feed 
them two or three times a day. A few nights ago a 
snake — a cobra — killed four of the finest ones. We 
were sorry to lose them but thankful that we and our 
servants escaped. Many persons have been bitten 
here this summer and I have heard of only three that 
survived. 

A few nights ago as we were retiring the room 
seemed so close and warm that I opened an outside 
door and there was a snake just ready to come in. 
There happened to be a stone on the veranda and I 
threw it and cut the snake in two, then I called the 
servants to find the head part which had fallen off the 
[240] 



A Pilgrimage 

veranda. We felt rather nervous about going to bed, 
and I had all the cracks filled with paper before I 
could lie down to sleep. This was the third snake 
which has visited us lately. 

Miss Pannell is visiting in Agra. She writes me 
that twenty dacoits entered the boarding-house of the 
medical class, and stood over the girls with clubs 
raised and demanded their money. One of the girls 
screamed and was struck with a club, but the watch- 
men in the yard heard the scream and rushed in. 
Several of the men were injured and one constable 
was seriously injured and is in hospital, but the 
dacoits got away. It is always a dangerous time in 
India when there is scarcity of food, so many are 
desperate through hunger and they steal and even take 
life. We have never been troubled with thieves 
here ; I suppose the people think we have nothing of 
value. 

The pundit who generally attends our Bible class 
could not attend on Sunday as it was the day for the 
Hindus to feed the Brahmans and their friends and as 
many poor people as they can afford to, in remem- 
brance of their deceased relatives. Toward evening 
he called to apologize for his absence. He said he 
found the ceremony of feeding people in remembrance 
of his father and mother and other members of the 
family of great benefit to him for it reminded him that 
[241 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

he too must die and it made him question himself 
about eternity. 

I asked him if there was any idolatry connected 
with this ceremony for if not I thought it might be a 
good thing as certainly it must lead a person to reflect 
upon the past and remember those who had once been 
with him, and it also reminded one of his own future 
life. He replied, " Yes, there is a little idolatry 
connected with it ; when the food is ready we just 
offer it to God through one of our deities, and this is 
the reason that I did not send you any of the food be- 
cause I know that Christians do not eat anything 
offered to idols." 

The house is very quiet. My pet dog lies beside 
me on the floor, and the sparrows fly in and out 
bringing grass to build their nests which the servants 
carefully destroy every day, and the sparrows as per- 
sistently renew. 



[242] 



XVII 

Distinguished Visitors 



Khetri, Oct. j, 1891. 

My dear Miss G : 

This has been a lonely day and I should have 
felt it much more if my home mail had not come in 
with letters and papers which have filled up my spare 
time. There were not many dispensary patients at 
the usual hour but all through the day some one has 
come for medicine. 

A man came bringing a bright looking young 
woman who has been insane since the birth of her 
child six weeks ago. I could not go very near her as 
she became violent every time I attempted it, but I 
gave some medicine hoping it would do her good. I 
have had several bad cases to treat recently but have 
succeeded in helping every one. Since my return an 
especial blessing has seemed to rest upon my work. 

The English lady, Miss Driver, who is with me 
being treated for rheumatism, finds something to do 
for some one every day ; she is always cheerful and 
happy and her influence on the people who come to 
us and those who live near us is so good that she is 
really a valuable acquisition. She has a native woman 
[243] 



A Glimpse of India 

to wait on her, a widow who has been accustomed to 
work in the rields like a man. She speaks a different 
dialect from ours and as we cannot understand each 
other's language we point and make signs and it is 
quite remarkable how quickly she comprehends. She 
is very religious in her wav. She calls upon her god 
every time she sneezes, and at night says over her 
prayers loud and strong, and if she wakens begins 
again. I succeeded in making her understand that 
her god can hear her just as well if she prays in her 
heart and does not make any noise to disturb us. 

She amuses us greatly. Miss Driver gave her a new 
skirt and on Sunday afternoon she put it on and came 
into the room and danced all around keeping time to 
her motions by playing a tune by snapping her ringer 
joints. 

The Brahman widow whom I told you about in a 
former letter is still with us. She goes out to cook 
her food and worship but returns at night and sleeps 
on the carpet by my bed. She is a tall, fine-looking 
woman and quite intelligent, but yen- bigoted. We 
improve even* opportunity to teach her the truth, and 
notice that she has more conridence in us than in any 
of her own people and believes what we tell her. 
There is certainly a change going on in her mind. 
One stumbling-block with every Hindu is the fact 
that Christians kill animals and eat meat. This they 
[244] 



Distinguished Visitors 

consider a great sin and they do not know how to ac- 
cept the practice of it, even in a person who seems 
to them good in other respects. We have many talks 
with the widow on this subject. She says she has 
learned to pray to our God in her heart since she 
came to us. 

When this woman's husband died some years ago 
she was persuaded to go to Brindaban where she en- 
tered upon temple life. This life is open to all 
Hindu widows. Some very respectable women who 
have plenty of means for their support have been in- 
duced to go to this city of temples and to give up 
all that they possessed on the promise that they will 
be cared for all their lives, not knowing that they 
were putting themselves in the power of the priests, 
but on finding what kind of life they were expected 
to lead they would gladly have returned to their 
friends if they could get away or had any means of 
supporting themselves, for of course they could not 
recover anything from the priests who had induced 
them to come there. 

Not long since an aged widow came to the pundit's 
house to ask him if the Rajah would not let her have 
a conveyance to get to her village about fourteen 
miles from Khetri. She said she had been away from 
her home seventeen years travelling on foot, with the 
help of her cane, to many of the sacred shrines, and 
[ 2 45] 



A Glimpse of India 

eating whatever was given to her. Her clothing was 
in shreds and she seemed too feeble to move. The 
pundit told her to remain over night and in the morn- 
ing arrangements would be made to send her to her 
village, but in the morning she was found dead in the 
place where she had taken shelter. Instead of being 
carried to her village home her body was carried to 
the burning ghat and cremated. 

Poor woman ! she had thought to find rest for her 
soul by enduring self-denial and hardships, but all 
in vain. But all hearts are open to Him who came 
to save, and He knows how strong was this woman's 
desire for salvation. 

October ptb. 

My dear M : 

We are staying at the City Bathing Tank for 
a few days. The Rani has been here for several 
weeks but we came only three days ago, as the Rajah, 
who had been staying here, has gone out into the 
country for a few days. Perhaps you remember the 
photograph of the tank which I brought home with 
me. It is a beautiful place. On the north are high 
hills well wooded which are fresh and green since the 
rains, and on the summit of the highest hill is the fort 
and an old palace which looks very pretty from here. 
The arches of our open veranda we have had hung 

[246] 



Distinguished Visitors 



"■& 



with cloth so we are sheltered from the sun and yet 
get plenty of fresh air. Our food is cooked in an 
open courtyard under a large Nim tree. All our serv- 
ants are with us so we are well looked after. 

I attend my dispensary every morning, which is 
half a mile distant and get back to my breakfast about 
ten o'clock. Our breakfast room is in a minaret just 
at the angle of two verandas ; it is an octagon with 
open arches, and it stands out in the water; we have 
a view of the whole tank and masonry surrounding it 
and of the hills. 

At evening all the servants are sent away, the gates 
are closed and the Rani comes out for a walk, and sits 
with us for a while. It is lovely here at sunset ; the 
hills are reflected in the water, and the sky is blue and 
clear with a few tinted clouds near the sun. I often 
wish for a painter's brush, or rather that I had a gift 
for painting and sketching. The change out here 
has done us all good for we have been very sad for 
several days at the news that has come to us of two mis- 
sionary ladies of our acquaintance who have developed 
leprosy. One of them is a member of our North 
India Conference who went home to America two 
years ago, and when she found that she had this ter- 
rible disease came back to work among the lepers at a 
place out in the hills. The other is a German lady 
of the Church Mission in Agra. The doctors have 
[ 2 47 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

advised her going to Germany, telling her that there is 
hope that the disease may be checked. 

October 28th. 

We are having lovely cool weather now and we 
feel quite invigorated and ready for work. On Satur- 
day we were out about seven miles from the city. 
Miss Pannell is with us again and we all wanted her 
to see the new reservoir which has been in process of 
building for three or four years past and is just 
finished. We went in style as usual though it was only 
for one day. We had a carriage and six horses. 
Miss Pannell and I rode in the carriage and Miss 
Driver went in the palki carried by eight men. Two 
Parsee ladies, members of my Bible class, rode on 
our elephant, and the pundit, who had charge of our 
party, rode beside us on a fine gray horse. Our cook, 
chaprasi and water-carrier were on a camel and five 
coolies on foot carried our lunch basket, cooking ves- 
sels, rocking-chairs and a small table on their heads, 
and a basket with two jugs of filtered drinking water 
in their hands. 

The reservoir is a fine piece of workmanship ; it 
was built by the pundit who accompanied us, who is 
an engineer as well. It covers several acres and re- 
ceives the drainage of eight square miles. The dam 
is sixty feet high with a strong central wall, and just 

[248] 



Distinguish :ars 

in the centre on this wall is a beautiful little temple 
built for the worship of the goddess Debi. She was 
not to be seen on Saturday so we went into her temple 
and 5.1: down. 

After our dinner we walked nearly a mile along the 
canal to see the water let into the fields, which is done 
by lifting a valve on the central wall which lets the 
water out from the reservoir into the canal for irrigat- 
ing the fields. 

When we returned we found the little boat ready 
for us to have a row so we sent our carriage and other 
conveyances down to the lower end of the reservoir 
where we met them after our boat ride. We enjoyed 
the dav verv much. We came home in the evening 
and I rode all the way on the elephant. The air was 
so delightful and the peculiar motion of the elephant 
was just the exercise I seemed to need, so I preferred 
it to either of the other conveyances, 

V;;;-::." _"_;;. 
Since I last wrote you our little girl has been very 
ill with bronchitis and I had an anxious time day 
and night until the dangerous stage had passed. I 
had to stay at the palace the most of the time for the 
Rani was so fearful that the child would not recover 
that she could hardly control herself. She never saw 
any one die and when either of the children is ill she 
[ 2 49] 



A Glimpse of India 

worries herself into a fever and it is almost harder to 
control her than to control the disease of the child. I 
am thankful that the little girl came through all right ; 
she is improving every day and will soon be as well as 
usual if they take proper care of her. 

The political agent of Jeypore was here for two 
days this week. The city was illuminated and the 
Rajah gave a grand dinner in his honor. We were 
invited and our cook had charge of the menu. I ad- 
vised him a little about what dishes to select and made 
a plum pudding myself, boiling it over my oil-stove. 
He served soup, fish, meat entrees, roast chicken, 
roast lamb and vegetables, a hot cheese course and 
plum pudding, and for dessert a gelatine cream pudding, 
almonds, raisins, oranges and small cakes. The 
agent, poor man, has dyspepsia, so was not able to do 
justice to such a dinner. There were only three of 
us at table, the guest, Miss Driver and myself. The 
Rajah came in during dessert, not to eat with us, but 
simply to drink the health of his guest in a glass of 
light wine. The agent returned the compliment and 
both made speeches as is the custom. 

The table stood just beneath a great shining chan- 
delier and was beautifully decorated with vines and 
flowers. The agent is very easy and pleasant in man- 
ner and we greatly enjoyed the evening which ended 
with a fine display of fireworks. 
[250] 



Distinguished Visitors 

The agent general is expected soon from Mt. Abu, 
also the civil surgeon of Jeypore to inspect the dispen- 
sary in the city ; after their departure the Rajah 
will invite a native chief, the Rajah of one of the 
Rajputana states, so Khetri will be very gay this cold 
season. 

This is Saturday and I expect a number of people 
to come to Bible class to-morrow, so I must stop 
writing and look over my lesson, which is the twenty- 
fifth of Matthew, the Parable of the Virgins. 

Camp Naranole, Jan. /, 1892. 
My dear Sisters : 

A Happy New Year to you ! 

The Rani's little girl has been quite ill again. 
She seemed so much better on Christmas Eve that she 
was brought down to our house with her mother, but 
she took cold and had a relapse so I have had my 
hands full. 

Our Christmas entertainment was very nice. I 
gave a dinner to the Rani and her two children and 
invited three other Hindu ladies and one Mohammedan 
lady. 

We enclosed the verandas with tent walls and 
spread the floor with clean white floor cloths. They 
could not take their food with us in our dining-room. 
The veranda looked light and cheerful. The Rani 

[251] 



A Glimpse of India 

sent her silver tray and silver dishes and her own table 
which she uses on grand occasions. It had a light 
standing on each corner and vases of flowers stood 
between the lights on three sides. She sat on her 
royal cushion of green velvet embroidered with gold 
and had another large one at her back of the same 
material. She was in full dress which means delicate 
material and an abundance of jewels. The tree for 
the children was very pretty. Our house was full. 
There were others who did not take their dinner at 
our house, to whom I sent raw material in the morn- 
ing and they had it cooked and ate it before they 
came. This is quite common among natives. 

On Christmas Day we gave a dinner to fifty-four 
people including our servants. Two of our servants 
cooked the food and the people sat down in our yard 
in rows or companies according to their caste. Each 
brought his own cup and plate and the food was 
served to them by our servants. It was a pleasure to 
see them eat. One man ate four pounds ; he said he 
would not eat again until the next evening. He is 
very poor and had not had a full meal in a month. 
When I found how very poor his family are and that 
they had nothing to cover them at night I sent them a 
thick quilt. 

At evening we had a short service and read St. 
Luke's account of the birth of Christ and told them 
[2 5 2] 



Distinguished Visitors 



'05 



why we kept the day and tried to make our friends 
happy. After the service I distributed oranges and 
nuts to all. 

I left Khetri this morning at ten o'clock and have 
travelled twenty miles on my way to the Conference 
which will meet on Wednesday next at Cawnpore. 
I have been tossed up and down for about eight hours. 
For the first six miles I had a phaeton and six horses 
which with some difficulty pulled me through the 
sand for an hour and a half; then I sent them back 
to Khetri and mounted the elephant and rode four 
miles but the sun proved too strong for my head and 
I changed to the palki carried by men to this, my first 
camping place. 

Khetri, Jan. 2jtb. 

We are having lovely winter weather; a heavy rain 
has made everything look fresh and green, and the 
oranges right from the trees are simply delicious. I 
have just been out over the hills to see a poor little 
boy who fell into the fire ; his face and one hand and 
arm are badly burned. I dressed the burns and hope 
he may live but I am doubtful about it. On my way 
back I went into an orange garden and bought a 
quantity of large sweet oranges, and had real pleasure 
in picking some of them myself. 

I returned to Khetri ten days ago after attending 
[ 2 53] 



A Glimpse of India 

the North India Conference, the first conference of 
missionaries that I have attended since I returned to 
India. The journey and the visit with old friends, as 
well as the good meetings, did me a great deal of 
good and gave me new inspiration for mv work. 

I brought back with me two young people, children 
of Dr. Scott, one of the missionaries. Thev were 
delighted with the journey and rode on the elephant 
nearly all the way from Rewari. Mabel had never 
been in a palanquin so she wanted to try that for a 
few miles. The Rajah and Rani are pleased to have 
them here ; the Rajah sent a horse and a gun for 
Wilfred to use while he is here, and the bov roams 
about the hills the most of the time on his shooting 
expeditions. We all enjoy having them with us; they 
are so bright and cheerful. 

February 2$th. 

The countrv is in sorrow over the death of the 
Queen's grandson, second heir to the throne, the 
news of which reached India while the agent general 
was on his wav to Khetri, and as the Viceroy had 
ordered that all government officials go into mourning 
and that all entertainments be suspended, this visit 
was a quiet one. The only public function was the 
laying of the corner-stone of a reservoir which is 
being built for the benefit of the people of the citv. 
The agent thought he was justified in doing this as it 
[ 2 54 ] 



Distinguished Visitors 

is always the policy of the English government to 
care for her people in time of need. A tent was 
pitched near the site of the reservoir and a stairway of 
mud beaten hard and whitewashed led from the street 
up to the tent which was on slightly elevated ground. 
A red carpet covered the centre of the stairs, and flags 
and flowers adorned the tent, in one corner of which 
was a table containing all manner of good things to 
be served after the speeches and the laying of the 
corner-stone. 

It was a very pleasant occasion and we enjoyed it 
very much, particularly the speech of the agent 
general who is one of England's choicest men. 



[255] 



XVIII 

In the Mountains 



Endcliff, Naini Tal, May 7, 1892. 
My dear Sister : 

We left Khetri on the 6th of April for this 
cooler clime. The heat was unbearable on our long 
journey to the railway station at Rewari. We re- 
mained in our tents during the day, travelling at night 
when it was a trifle cooler. I took a severe cold 
from using wet towels on my head, so that when we 
arrived in Bareilly we were detained there a week, as 
I was afraid to come up into the cool air of the hills 
with such a cold. I stopped with the lady mission- 
aries who are living in my old home, and while I en- 
joyed being in the old place I was constantly reminded 
of the flight of time by the trees and shrubbery which 
I planted twenty years ago, which have grown so tall 
and large. The drives through the compound of 
forty acres are bordered with trees of different kinds 
and the lovely flowers and creepers make the place 
beautiful. 

We took the early train from Bareilly to Naini Tal 
to escape the heat and reached the foot of the Hima- 
laya Mountains at about six o'clock. Here we found 
[256] 



In the Mountains 

any number of coolies ready with dandis to carry us 
up the hill — twelve miles — to Naini Tal. 

The Rani took a house for herself and us, and the 
Rajah secured one near us for himself and his staff, so 
we are comfortably situated. The location of our 
house is beautiful. We are just on the spur of a hill, 
about five hundred feet above the lake. We can see 
all of Naini Tal on the opposite side and also the 
whole length of the lake. The view is really charm- 
ing, and the air is cool and delightful. Such a change 
from the plains is like being transplanted to another 
clime. 

The Rani has never been here before and she en- 
joys the change and the lovely views. I purchased a 
field-glass for her the other day so she can sit by the 
window up-stairs and see nearly all Naini Tal, and 
this is a great pleasure to her. 

We have divided the house so that we live almost 
as if each had a house to herself. 

In front of the Rani's apartments is a lovely rose 
garden which she has had enclosed with tent walls so 
she can enjoy it without being seen. On Wednes- 
days she receives calls from missionaries and other 
ladies. She is learning much here and will under- 
stand English ways and feel more at home with for- 
eigners. It will do her no harm if she does not take 
on English customs and go into extravagances. I 
[ 2 57] 



A Glimpse of India 

hardly think she will do this while living with us, for 
she admires our simple home life. 

We are all improving in health and hope to remain 
here until the rainy season begins. Several of our 
missionaries are here from the plains ; the heat came 
early, and so intense — and cholera as well — that many 
people were driven to the hills. A most fatal type of 
cholera has appeared in many cities of the plains and, 
so far, the cause has not been discovered. 

Miss Layton who came out to India in January to 
take charge of the Cawnpore English Girls' School 
in our mission has just died of the dread disease. She 
was ill only thirteen hours and suffered terribly till 
death relieved her. There have been several other 
victims among the Europeans in different parts of 
India. We are thankful to be here, though we are 
not out of reach of cholera, for several natives near 
us have died of it. Our house is so high up that we 
get good air, and I am very careful about our food. 

Soon after I began to write the Rajah sent to ask 
me to come up to his house and show his servants 
how to arrange his drawing-room. The Lieutenant- 
Governor of the Northwest Provinces will visit him 
to-day — a visit of ceremony at four o'clock. I went 
up and found a couple of merchants there who had 
sent elegant curtains, table covers, rugs, vases, and 
handsome sofas with chairs to match. I asked the 

C 258 ] . 



In the Motcntains 

men the price of the sofa and chairs and they said 
twenty-five hundred rupees. A few minutes later I 
saw a servant standing on this beautiful sofa driving a 
nail into the wall to hang a picture. In the midst of 
all this elegance I began to work, selecting suitable 
table covers for the tables and cushions for the chairs 
and sofa. I sent for some plush or tapestry for the 
mantelpiece and in about an hour the room was as 
attractive as one could wish. The governor's visit 
will not be a lengthy one and by nine o'clock this 
evening the most of these goods will be on the way 
back to the shops of the obliging merchants, and the 
Rajah will settle down to his simple camp style. 
Show, with native royalty, comes and goes like a 
breeze. 

June 21st. 

We expect to go down to the plains in a few days 
if the Rani feels well enough to travel. We may 
take a house in Bareilly or Delhi for a time if that 
seems best. 

I have found so much to do since coming up here 
that there has not been much leisure for letter-writing. 
Several patients have been treated in their own homes, 
and travelling on men's shoulders from place to place 
on these hills is slow work. My life here in the hills 
is somewhat different from that in Khetri, for here, 
besides my medical work and housekeeping, I have 
[ 2 59] 



A Glimpse of India 

social duties and the privilege of attending church 
services both English and Hindustani. 

To-morrow my old friend Mrs. Hoskins is coming 
to spend the day with us. She is in one of the mis- 
sion houses across the lake and we often take a peep 
at each other through our field-glasses. The mission- 
aries will soon be returning to their work on the 
plains, for we hear that there have been some cooling 
showers, but I think it is hardly safe to go from this 
cool climate until the rains have really set in. 

I have a man sitting near me — on the floor — who 
is making a thin garment for me. He measures and 
cuts and cuts and measures, and I feel sure that if the 
length of time he takes over it will make it right the 
garment will fit perfectly. 

Bareilly, July 25, l8p2. 

Our stay of three months in Naini Tal is over and 
we are now on our way to Muttra where we shall remain 
for a time. I am sorry not to return to Khetri where 
we left such an interesting work. We were expect- 
ing to have a native minister there during the cold 
season, and I was anticipating visiting several villages 
and camping among them as soon as the rainy season 
should be over and the weather would permit, but 
under existing circumstances we may not be able to 
go home until March. 

We had a very pleasant trip down the mountain, 
[260] 



In the Mountains 

were nearly a week on the way. About four miles 
below Naini Tal there is a rest-house situated in the 
midst of beautiful grounds with several waterfalls. I 
came down the hill before the others and had two 
days and nights in this lovely place. We all like it 
so much that we want the Rajah to buy it for a sum- 
mer residence if it can be purchased. There are 
about forty acres of ground and three nice houses so 
there would be plenty of room for us all. 

Our next stop was at a travellers' rest-house eight 
miles further down the hill. There we remained 
twenty-four hours, and Mrs. Hoskins who had been 
with us at the former place came here with us and 
stayed until it was time for her to go on to Kathgo- 
dam to take the train for Bareilly. 

Kathgodam is at the base of the first hills and is a 
very pleasant place to stop for a while. The railway 
company has a commodious rest-house in the midst 
of spacious and beautiful grounds. Travellers can 
remain one month here by paying one rupee a day 
( 0, 33/^ cts -) anc ^ can nave a private table supplied by 
the regular cook of the establishment or they can take 
their own cook and have him serve their meals. 
This is what we did. 

We were at Kathgodam until Friday, then came 
on to Bareilly. This evening we shall take train for 
Muttra, one of the holy cities of the Hindus. 
[261] 



A Glimpse of India 

Muttra, July 29th. 

We are having fine rains and the country is look- 
ing fresh and green ; the people are happy over the 
prospect of a good harvest after a scarcity of grain 
for two years. We hear that Rajputana is having 
plenty of rain, and I am sure there must be 
great rejoicing among the people for they have 
suffered much from the drought and many of their 
cattle have died from starvation. We long to go 
back to Khetri but cannot on account of the Rani's 
health. 

Our home at present is in one of those oriental 
garden houses which we sometimes read about and 
see in pictures. It is owned by a very rich man, a 
banker who has so much money that he does not 
know just what to do with it. I hear that he secretes 
large amounts in a temple which he has built, sealing 
it in the stones of the floor or elsewhere and placing 
an idol over it which no one would dare to disturb ; 
so his money is safe from thieves. 

When we arrived here I went to the Government 
Rest-House for a few days as I thought it would be 
more comfortable but I was obliged to leave to make 
room for other travellers. I now have up-stairs 
rooms in the garden house — eleven of them all to my- 
self. There is a veranda all around the house shaded 
by bamboo curtains or chiks^ as we call them here. 

[262] 



In the Mountains 

They keep the rooms cool and protect us from flies. 
The Rani lives in rooms below. 

Would you like a description of my drawing-room ? 
The room is very large and airy, with fourteen doors. 
There are three kinds of carpets, two marble-top 
tables standing against the walls with large mirrors 
hanging above them. Then there are two small 
chairs covered with green and pink cretonne, and for 
comfort one large easy chair upholstered with striped 
blue and cream satin damask. A round writing chair 
and a three-legged table, on which I am writing, 
complete the furnishings. A staircase leads up to the 
roof where one can sleep at night if not afraid of 
monkeys coming to occupy the same bed. 

We have been so troubled with one, who seems to 
think he has a right to all in the house. I found my 
dining-room in such confusion one day. This crea- 
ture had opened one of the cupboard doors, taken out 
a lot of dish-towels and strewn them over the floor 
and opened a box that was packed with table linen and 
dishes. He disturbed everything he could until some 
one happened in, then he ran away in a hurry. He 
is not a bit afraid when I attempt to drive him away 
but comes at me to see if he can frighten me. One 
of our guards sent me a gun to snap at him. Mon- 
keys seem to understand that a gun is different from 
a club and they will run at the sight of one. The 

[263] 



A Glimpse of India 

men have succeeded in driving this creature off to the 
jungle but he has come back once, so I live in con- 
stant fear and have to shut all the doors even though 
I go down-stairs for a minute only. 

The other day this monkey stole the dinner of one 
of the servants. He took his bread and the brass dish 
containing vegetable curry, and running up to the top 
of the house sat down and ate it all and then threw 
the dish back to the man. I have been tempted to 
poison the old fellow but cannot make up my mind to 
do it, he seems so human. 

I wish I could have you and a few other friends 
here to-day for a picnic in our lovely garden ; the 
walks, the trees of many varieties and the hedges are 
so green and pretty, a delight to the eyes. There 
are palms, cedars, and fruit trees, some loaded with 
luscious fruit, and the rose trees and jessamine shrubs 
with their white star blossoms are lovely. 

This afternoon I am invited to take supper at the 
Training School and Deaconess Home, a fine institu- 
tion. iVIuttra is a large Hindu city, very well built 
and quite populous, but the people seem as hard as the 
street pavement. It is a difficult mission field, still 
the missionaries are doing good work among certain 
classes. 

Yesterday I went with one of the mission helpers 
to Brindaban, six miles from here. If you look into 

[264] 



In the Mountains 

my book on Muttra and Brindaban you will get a de- 
scription of the place and of the temples, some of 
which are unusually fine works of art. We visited 
all of the finest ones, also some of the famous bathing 
ghats, and then went to the little rest-house belonging 
to the mission, had breakfast and after a little rest re- 
turned to Muttra on the train. It rained very hard 
on the way home and I took a carriage to our place 
which is quite two miles and a half from the station. 
The main street in the city was like a river and the 
water ran so swiftly that I was thankful to get through 
it and reach home in safety. We expect to go to 
Agra on Friday to live in the same house we had be- 
fore. 

Agra, Aug. jo, 1892, 
We are again in the old Government House, now 
owned by the Maharajah of Jeypore who has given us 
the use of it for the present. It is very commodious, 
and is more convenient for our large party than any 
we could get in Muttra. It will accommodate one 
hundred people. 

This is a beautiful place. The grounds cover 
about one hundred and fifty acres, and the fine old 
trees are very beautiful just now in the rains ; the 
parrots and the peacocks lay claim to the trees as 
their home. It is a pretty sight to see them fed. 

[265] 



A Glimpse of India 

The servant spreads a cloth on the ground and throws 
grain upon it and the birds seem to understand that it 
is their dinner time and they come in crowds. It is 
impossible to count them but there must be hundreds 
of them. The parrots are very beautiful in their rai- 
ment of green and gold. They are all wild parrots, 
not a tame one among them. 

The Maharajah of Jeypore allows four rupees* worth 
of grain a month for feeding the birds and he thinks 
he is doing a very charitable thing. 

Life on the plains is to me very enjoyable in the 
rainy season, especially so now that I have had such a 
time of refreshing in the cool delightful climate of 
Naini Tal, which has so invigorated us all. Have I 
told you that we have a flourishing Methodist church 
there ? They have excellent preaching, and the 
weekly Bible readings are interesting and profitable. 
The interest in Bible study is as great, I think, on 
this side of the world as in America. Christian work 
among the natives grows in importance ; there has 
been of late a large gathering into the Church from 
among the low castes among the heathen. They are 
more accessible than the higher classes. I have been 
promised a native preacher to go with us when we 
return to Khetri. We have had an encouraging work 
there for some time, a season of seed-sowing which I 
hope may result in an abundant harvest ere long. 
[ 266] 



In the Mountains 

Jgra, Sept. jotb. 

The rainy season is over and we are having bright, 
sunny days. Our camp-meeting in Lucknow began 
yesterday. I thought I should attend it but have given 
it up as there is so much sickness and fever there. I 
should not like to run the risk of being ill while the 
Rani is so dependent on me. She is keeping pretty 
well for her. The Rajah is expected to arrive in a 
few days. 

We are acquainted with the missionaries of the 
Church of England here and also with those of the 
Baptist and Methodist Missions. Every Monday we 
meet with one of the missionary family for Bible study, 
and on Thursday evening we have a mission prayer- 
meeting, and a league meeting on Friday evenings. 
Sometimes during the week we are invited to an even- 
ing dinner with our friends. My little class of boys 
come regularly every morning to learn the Lord's 
Prayer and the Ten Commandments. One of our 
servants gives them a lesson for half an hour in the 
Hindi First Book. 

A sad case of illness has occurred on our grounds. 
A sick woman was brought to some of her friends liv- 
ing here. She had been ill with fever and had lost the 
power of speech. My cook begged me to go to her 
and I gave her some medicine, promising to see her 
again, but that night her friends experimented with 

[267] 



A Glimpse of India 

their own terrible remedies. They said she was not 
sick but was possessed by an evil spirit, so they took 
strong red pepper and burning sulphur and held it to 
her nose, obliging her to inhale the fumes while they 
beat her with a thick cord. The poor woman suffered 
severely and screamed with pain, which encouraged 
her tormentors who said the evil spirit was leaving her. 
I went in to see her last evening and found her lying on 
the floor alone. Her husband had gone to call a man 
who was renowned for his power to cast out evil spirits, 
and had left word that she was not to have medicine 
or food lest the evil spirit should be made comfortable 
and remain in her. Her friends say that the evil spirit 
was driven out, but we believe that the Lord heard 
our prayers for her and relieved her. She is an attract- 
ive young woman and I do hope her people may get 
wiser before she is ill again. 

The Rani's little girls are learning nicely with Miss 
Driver. They are reading the Bible with her and the 
older one has learned so much of the Scriptures that I 
hardly see how she can ever be an idol-worshipper. 
Her father came for a few days' visit lately and after 
talking with the children a little he asked Bai what 
she was learning. She answered, "The Bible." He 
asked, " Do you read about Jesus Christ ? " " Yes, 
some," said Bai. " And who do you think He is ? " 
asked her father. She replied, " The Bible says He is 
[268] 



In the Mountai7is 

the Son of God." " How could God have a son ? He 
has no wife," said the Rajah, and Bai answered, " God 
made all the world, could He not make a son for Him- 
self if He wanted to ? " Then the Rajah asked her, 
" Are you going to be a Christian ? " " I am not a 
Christian," she replied, "but the Bible is a good book 
and I like to read it." 

After a little more talk the Rajah went away, but he 
came again in the evening and calling Bai to him said, 
" Do not read the Bible any more. I do not wish you 
to read it." Bai began to cry and came to tell us that 
her father said she must not read the Bible any more. 
We prayed over the matter and left it for God to 
settle. 

When the Rajah came the next day the dear little 
girl went to him and said, " Father, do not hinder me 
from reading the Bible," and she began to cry. The 
Rani was present, and she spoke, saying, " That Bible 
is a very good book. I read it myself sometimes when 
I am in trouble and I get great comfort from it. Let 
Bai read it, it will do her no harm." After a few 
minutes of silence the Rajah said, " Well, Bai, you 
may read the Bible, but do not read about killing cows, 
nor much about Jesus Christ," and so the matter was 
settled. 

Agra, Oct. 18th. 

I was just closing my writing case when I suddenly 

[269] 



A Glimpse of hidia 

remembered that this is home mail day and I must 
send you a letter. I have been writing since early this 
morning — stopping only long enough to take my 
breakfast — and it is now nearly twelve o'clock. My 
letters accumulate so fast that I find myself quite be- 
hind with my correspondence. There is no end of 
letter-writing in India. Nearly all business must be 
done in writing as a verbal message is not accepted 
from a native servant. If I want a spool of thread 
even I must send a note to the storekeeper asking 
for it. 

You see we are still in Agra but we must leave this 
house as the Maharajah of Jeypore wishes to come 
here for a time and though there are numbers of 
vacant rooms not immediately connected with those 
we occupy, it would not do for him to come while we 
are in his house. We have rented a fine large house 
with fourteen rooms and are having the rooms white- 
washed and put in order for us. We shall have to 
rent furniture but that is easily done. 

We are sorry to leave this beautiful house and 
grounds. I have a nice class of boys to teach who 
live here on the premises, and there are many sick 
people on the grounds and near by who have called me 
to attend them. I am sorry to give them up and my 
morning clinics will not be so large in the new place. 

The poor woman of whom I wrote you in my last 
[270] 



In the Mountains 

letter died after suffering greatly from the treatment 
by her friends. 

The Mission Bible Class met with me on Monday 
evening. There were eighteen present. We finished 
the Book of Jonah, which has been quite an interest- 
ing study. Among those present were two Baptist 
ministers, one Methodist, and three Church of Eng- 
land clergy, with ladies from each mission. We had 
a very pleasant and profitable meeting and a social 
time afterward over the tea and cake. 

Just now the Lord Bishop of Calcutta is here. I 
went to the confirmation service on Tuesday in the 
English Church, when thirty young women and men 
were confirmed, all natives. It was a solemn and in- 
teresting occasion. 



[271] 



XIX 
Birth of an Heir 



Agra, Jan. 2J, i8pj. 
My dear Sister : 

A very happy event occurred this morning at 
three o'clock. A long-looked for and much prayed- 
for little son came to gladden the hearts and home of 
the Rajah and Rani of Khetri. Not for one hundred 
years has such an event occurred in the royal family. 
For the past century the rajahs or governors of the 
state have been adopted or appointed from a branch 
of the royal family. The present Rajah and father of 
this little prince was adopted in infancy. 

The birth of a son in a Hindu family is always a 
matter of rejoicing. This seems doubly so as not 
only the great desire of the parents but of hundreds of 
others in the state is met by the coming of this little 
heir. There is great rejoicing in the camp. 

Agra, Feb. 2Jtb. 

A motley crowd of the poor, the lame, the blind 

and diseased of the city has gathered in the compound, 

and the highway leading to the house is so crowded 

that a carriage cannot pass. The day for feeding the 

[ 272] 



Birth of an Heir 

hungry people of the city, as a token of gratitude to 
God for His precious gift of the little prince, has 
come. Word has been proclaimed that all who will 
come to the Rajah's camp will receive money suffi- 
cient for a day's food. Small silver and copper coin 
and shells — which have a purchasing value — in abun- 
dance have been provided and the servants of the state 
will distribute them to the crowd. Not knowing the 
amount of food that would be necessary it was thought 
best to give money for the day's food and let the peo- 
ple purchase it in the bazar. All the servants 
employed by the state will be remembered by gifts 
when we return to Khetri. 

News of the birth of this little heir to the throne 
has spread throughout Rajputana and there is a general 
rejoicing over the much desired event. 

Rewari, March 14th. 

We left Agra on the ninth of this month. As our 
party is so large the Rajah engaged a special train. 
There were two hundred of us, including the servants. 
The Rajah had ten horses and four fine hunting 
hounds, besides a female buffalo and the children's 
two dogs and six puppies. 

Rewari is our first stopping-place ; to-morrow morn- 
ing early we shall start for our next place where we 
shall be in tents. Three houses had been engaged for 
[ 2 73] 



A Glimpse of India 

us in Rewari and we found everything made ready for 
us. Miss Driver and I are in the Government Rest- 
House, and as we have our own servants and every- 
thing needful for housekeeping we shall keep house 
at every stopping-place. 

Rewari is seventy-two miles from Khetri and we 
shall camp seven times on the way. Stopping so 
often makes the journey less wearisome, and living in 
tents is very pleasant at this time of the year, neither 
too hot nor too cold. We travel slowly on account 
of the Rani and the baby. 

In Campy Corie. 

I was happily surprised this morning by receiving 
my mail here in my tent, it having been brought from 
Khetri where it had been collecting for about ten 
days. Among other letters and papers I found yours 
of P^ebruary 4th which I was so glad to read. What 
a comfort letters are ! I value them more every year. 

Here we are near a small village, tenting under a 
great banyan tree. Just below us, facing our tent is a 
steep range of hills, and on the other side as far as we 
can see are fine wheat and oat fields. The sun is 
bright and hot this morning. I am sitting in my 
palki outside the tent and just in front of me is our 
good old elephant at the well drinking and throwing 
water over herself. She really seemed to know us 
[274] 



Birth of an Heir 

when they brought her to our house in Rewari. She 
lifted her trunk and made a salam and then began to 
dance. Many a mile has she carried us and through 
some dangerous places. 

Kund. 

We started early this afternoon but when we had 
gone less than a mile we found it very hot indeed and I 
was obliged to leave the elephant and come the rest of 
the way in my palki. We reached our tents in good 
time and found them pitched in a very good place. 
The state quarries are near here with about two hun- 
dred men at work so the place has quite an air of 
business. We leave this evening for our next stop- 
ping-place, eight miles from here. 

Jeypuri. 

We reached our tents about nine o'clock last night 
all very tired. The Rani and baby have kept well so 
far though she feels the weariness of constant travel. 
The Rani is staying in a temple here and our tents 
are close by. This is a pretty little village with fine 
fields of grain surrounding it. No end of people come 
to take a look at us ; we are quite an object of curios- 
ity to them. Our route is rather indirect and many 
of the places through which we pass are quite new to 
us. 

Saturday. 

Another resting-place. It has become very tire- 
[ 2 75] 



A Glimpse of India 

some unpacking and packing every day. I shall be 
glad when we reach Khetri. 

The people of this place are all farmers. They 
look very strong and are kind and inclined to be so- 
cial. Many come for medicine which I am glad to 
give. So many suffer from sore eyes, being always 
out in the sun and dust ; not having proper treatment 
many lose their sight altogether. I took care to bring 
plenty of eye medicine with me and I hope it will 
benefit those to whom I have given it. 

Our next camping place was a village in the stare 
of Patiala, which we reached early on Sunday. The 
people wished to give the Rajah and his camp a din- 
ner but it was declined with thanks, the real motive 
being that he did not wish to be under obligation to 
the people of another state. We would have been 
glad to remain over Sunday but after some hours' rest 
the Rajah ordered that the camp move on and we could 
not remain there alone. 

Thursday. 

The Rani is so weary with the journey that we will 
remain in this place until to-morrow evening which 
will give us a rest of two nights and one day, and we 
shall feel quite refreshed for the next stage of our 
journey. We are at a place called Shimali in the 
Khetri state, fifteen miles from the city. I hope to 
go in to-morrow night but the Rani will go only half- 

[276] 



Birth of an Heir 

way, stopping at the rest-house there. Crowds of 
people come around our tents, some asking for medi- 
cine and some merely to get a sight of us. 

Friday. 

Home ! I brought the little prince in my palki last 
night and when I made him over to his mother at our 
stopping-place I asked her to allow me to come on 
home. Aliss Driver remained with the Rani and two 
of the women came with me and my servants. 

Our new house is not ready for us and I fear we 
shall be obliged to remain in this one for some time 
yet. 

Saturday. 

The Rani came in this morning and such a dem- 
onstration ! Fifty-one guns were fired in salute and 
the streets were lined with infantry and cavalry, the 
band playing all the while. Baby is quite unaware of 
all the parade made over his arrival. Costly gifts of 
gold and silver vessels, jewels, monev, and beautiful 
garments of rich material are arriving or have been 
sent by rajahs and family friends, according to orien- 
tal custom. Over five thousand rupees in money and 
gifts have been received for the little one from friends 
who have come to visit the Rajah or have sent to con- 
gratulate him on the birth of a son. 

The little prince is a fine baby ; he gives no trouble, 
[ 2/7 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

and we all love him. I bathe and dress him and look 
after him almost as much as if he belonged to me. 

March 28th. 

An offering to God for His precious gift has been 
decided upon. Sixty thousand rupees is to be spent 
in various ways; in feeding the poor of the state, 
presents to the servants, and in other benevolences. 
This custom of the Hindus of making a thank-offering 
for special blessings is worthy of imitation. Some- 
times a person upon recovery from a serious illness 
will call a number of very poor people and feed them 
as a thank-offering to the deity which he or she wor- 
ships. 

I am having frequent calls to the city. Some of 
my visits among the people are very interesting ; none 
seem afraid of me now, and this confidence is a 
marked contrast to my early experience when, to 
them, a Christian and a foreigner was an object to be 
avoided. 

The secretary has asked me to have a church built 
here. He seems to think it necessary for our com- 
fort to have a suitable place of worship. Perhaps my 
faith ought to be sufficient for this, trusting for a con- 
gregation and a preacher in time. At present we have 
a service every Sunday evening on our veranda for 
our servants and any others who wish to come. This 

[278] 



Birth of an Heir 

is a great pleasure to us and so is the English service 
Sunday mornings. Last Sunday we read one of 
Professor Finney's sermons which was much enjoyed. 

April 2 ph. 

The Rani sent Miss Driver and me one hundred 
rupees each in behalf of her young son, wishing us to 
use the money for the support of an orphan child in 
the mission to which we belong. How thoughtful of 
her to begin so early with her little treasure in benevo- 
lent work among her own people ! After some study 
of the needs I felt inclined to send my one hundred 
rupees to Mrs. Hoskins, the missionary in charge of 
our Native Girls' School in Cawnpore, with the 
Rani's request that the money be used for the support 
of some little girl who had no mother or who had no 
one to care for her. 

In reply the missionary wrote, " c Before they call 
I will answer, and while they are yet speaking I will 
hear.' Yesterday at this hour I was asked to take a 
little child but I hesitated because I did not know 
from whence her support would come. It seemed so 
truly a case of c ought ' that I finally said, c Yes, I 
will take her; the Lord will provide,'— and then 
your letter came. 

" Some time ago an ayah was converted in one of 
our meetings out in the district; Padri Chunni Lai 
[279] 



A Glimpse of India 

baptized her and she immediately began to work for 
the Lord. She ministered to a poor woman who was 
ill, caring for her and feeding her two hungry young 
daughters. The woman told her that a Mohammedan 
had offered her twenty rupees for the two girls. This 
amount looked large and she was inclined to sell them 
but the Christian woman took them all to her home 
and persuaded the mother to let her send the older 
girl to me. As soon as she arrived a missionary lady 
who was visiting us promised to pay the amount 
needed for her support. Now the ayah is going away 
to her home and your letter makes it possible for me 
to take the younger girl also. 

cc Another little orphan was sent me by one of our 
preachers. She was so emaciated that I feared she 
could not live, but with God's blessing, milk, cod- 
liver oil and soup have brought her through and we 
have baptized her, Ruth. She is a dear little girl, 
readily absorbing Gospel truth, and is such a good ex- 
ample to the other children. Would you like to sup- 
port her for a year or two ? I feel that it will pay. 
Would you or the Rani like to name the little girl 
who has not been baptized ? God bless the dear 
Rani and her family. The greatest blessing that I 
could wish them is that they may know His love. ,, 

The Rani is very much pleased to know that the 
money has been so satisfactorily applied* 
[ 28 °] 



Birth of an Heir 

Miss Driver decided to send a part of the money 
given her to Jerusalem to help a little girls' school 
there which is under her Church Missionary Society, 
and she wrote telling of the birth of the little prince 
with the request that they would pray that he might 
grow up to be a good man. 



[281] 



XX 

A Visit to Besau 



May 12, i8gj. 
My dear Sister : 

Miss Driver has just come in to breakfast 
which we seldom take together as she usually goes 
early in the morning to the palace to teach the chil- 
dren and does not return until after my breakfast 
hour. 

The Rani is trying to arrange for her elder daugh- 
ter's engagement. She has been told of a young man, 
eighteen years old, from near where she lived before 
she was married. She thinks he will be a suitable 
husband for her daughter. I hope, if it is best, that the 
engagement may take place, for the marriage arrange- 
ments are a great anxiety to the parents. 

I have had very few patients to-day — not more 
than ten or twelve. A dear little boy, six years of 
age, is staying on my veranda. I have twice operated 
on him for ascites and I trust that the difficulty is 
overcome and that I shall be able to send him home 
soon, quite well. He is a bright little fellow from 
the country and he has quite won my heart ; I dislike 
to give him up for he has been great company for me 
while I have been alone. 

[ 282 ] 



A Visit to Besan 

I have been out in the city to visit a patient ill 
with typhoid fever. He has been ill now for fifteen 
days and I am doubtful about his recovery for his sur- 
roundings are very unfavorable. He is about twenty 
years old and belongs to a wealthy Mohammedan 
family, but they live in a most unsanitary manner. 

There is still considerable interest manifested in 
my Bible class. On Sunday our lesson was the 
twenty-fourth chapter of Matthew's Gospel and a 
Hindu gentleman who was present acknowledged that 
he is convinced of the truth of our religion. He said 
that he is praying daily that God will help him to see 
the right way ; and that in his business matters of late 
he has had several answers to his prayers which en- 
courages him to continue to pray. After the lesson is 
over we have a short time for conversation, which 
sometimes seems almost like a class-meeting. 

Smallpox is raging terribly here, principally among 
children. Yesterday I vaccinated the Rani's children. 
I have been vaccinated several times since I was a 
child but without results. I think I must try again. 

Baghor, yune 23 , 18 gj. 
My dear Sister : 

We came up here on the 26th of May with 
the little prince, intending to stay only a few days 
but the place is so much cooler than the city that 

[283] 



A Glimpse of India 

we have thought best to remain until the rains begin. 
It hardly seems possible that there could be so much 
difference in the heat only five miles from Khetri; 
we are fourteen hundred feet higher than the city, 
however. 

We have quite a company here living in tents. Our 
home is in a bungalow which the Rajah built three or 
four years ago for himself as he often comes out this 
way to shoot tigers. There is but one room and it 
has eight outside doors but no windows and when the 
doors are all closed the only light we get comes through 
the cracks. We keep the doors closed through the 
hottest part of the day — from twelve until two o'clock 
— while we slip into our dressing-gowns and lie down 
to sleep. This rest is a great boon. I am highly 
favored in that I have not much to do these days and 
am not obliged to go out into the heat. While the 
little prince was so ill in Khetri my strength was well 
tested. He is quite well and plump now and it does 
not seem possible that he has been so ill. 

I told the Rani this morning that the baby is now 
the ruler, that his father, the prime minister, and the 
council have to order all the affairs of the state with 
reference to him, and that we ourselves, and all the 
servants, had to do what would prove best for the little 
prince. 

The Rani's youngest daughter takes her tea with 

[284] 



A Visit to Besau 

me early in the morning and at two o'clock and always 
expects a piece of short bread with her milk. I en- 
joy having the children with me. 

The Rani and I have enjoyable times reading to- 
gether. The Old Testament is quite like a story to 
her and she is never tired of reading it and asking 
questions. 

I have been baking bread this morning. It did not 
bake well but is better than none. It was baked in a 
small iron oven with coals above and below. I will 
try again and the next time I will steam the loaf. 

I rise about five o'clock every morning, take the 
cream off a quart of buffalo's milk, put it in a teacup 
and hand it to the cook to make butter for the day. 
He stirs it with a spoon for about twenty minutes and 
the butter comes — a nice little ball weighing one or 
two ounces. Buffalo milk is very rich if the animal 
is well fed. The Rani has two cows and one buffalo 
here. 

The cook has just brought my breakfast of cracked 
wheat, curry and rice. He looks at my new bread 
as if he thought it a failure. 

July I ph. 

We came in from Baghor two weeks ago and are 
glad to be at home again after spending a time in a 
real tiger jungle. I have felt rather timid since read- 
ing of a jungle tiger in Southern India which appeared 

[285] 



A Glimpse of India 

recently on the railroad track with two cubs and 
killed a native and a European. The brute leaped 
suddenly from among the bushes and the low growth 
along the track. 

We used to sit out at evening until quite dark, un- 
til the Rajah sent us word to be careful as there were 
tigers and leopards on all sides of us. 

July 18th. 

On Monday I left home to go to a native state 
about fifty miles from here to see a sick child, the 
heir to the state. His father died about two months 
ago, and it is thought that he was poisoned by his 
prime minister. His widow, who is the sister of the 
Rani of Khetri, was married a little more than two 
years ago. She is a young, pretty woman who must 
now endure the trials and privations of widowhood, 
which are many and severe. She is very much afraid 
that her child may also be poisoned. If he lives her 
life will be more desirable but there will be much to 
endure and it will be hard enough at best. She is 
supposed to lose all interest in life, take little food and 
eat but once a day ; she must wear a simple wrap of 
cloth about her body, and the sooner she dies the bet- 
ter pleased will be the people of her state. 

My journey there was quite enjoyable. I travelled 
as usual on an elephant or in the palki, with an escort 
[ 286] 



A Visit to Be sau 

of thirty men on camels and four men on horses to 
lead the way, as we went through fields and by-ways 
across the plains. My tent was sent on twenty miles 
to the place where we were to spend the night. The 
day was cool and cloudy and the ride over the hills 
was inspiring. We reached the tent about eight 
o'clock in the evening, crossing a river bed of sand 
with not a sprig of grass or a shrub to be seen on 
either side. In the rainy season this is a most danger- 
ous river. I am told that the streams come rushing 
down from the surrounding hills with such force and 
swiftness that our elephant could not stand against it. 

We crossed at six o'clock and there was not a drop 
of water in the river, but soon after we reached my 
tent, which was little more than a mile from the river, 
it began to rain and rained hard all night. The wind 
blew and my tent swayed but did not come down, but 
my cook's small tent was blown down and the men 
had quite a serious time putting it up again. 

Some of our party left home a little later than I did 
and when they reached the river they found that they 
could not cross so they were obliged to remain on the 
other side until morning. The three women whom 
the Rani sent to accompany me were in that party, 
among them the Pasbandoi the late Rajah, a very lovely 
native woman. She travelled in state, with a horse- 
man riding in front of her conveyance carrying a sil- 

[287] 



A Gh 

ver sceptre, and her two women followed the cc: 
ance on a camel, with a camel train of men servants 
behind. 

Although this woman was a concubine of the late 
Rajah she is jreatlv respected for her goodness and 
.- of life. She did not choose the life she was 
obliged to lead. She is obliged to live like a widow, 
eats onlv once a day, dresses only in brown cloth, and 
spends most of her time in worship, and she must do 
all this in honor of a man whom she despised. She 
was a voung married girl when he took her awav to 
live in his palace, and her bov husband whom she 
loved died soon after her abduction. 

The Pasbantfs tent was not far from mine and after 
her arrival I went to see how she had passed the night 
and if she had trouble in crossing the river. She said 
she got on very well but was glad to have a few 
hours rest before starting on again. 

We did not leave camp until half-past ten in the 
forenoon. In the meantime my cook brousht me a 
breakfast of native food, and all the people made their 
bread and ate it. This part of camp life is alwav 
teresting to me. I never get tired of seeing the ani- 
mals fed, and the men make their bread and bake it 
: e the little fires in the camp. Thev sit down and 
eat it with much enjoyment for the jolting of the 
camels gives them a sood appetite. 
~ [2«8] 



A Visit to Besau 

On the twentieth the rain ceased long enough for 
us to reach Junjun, a city twelve miles distant from 
our first camp, and I rode all the way on the elephant. 
We reached the city about one o'clock and stopped 
in an old building, belonging to the Thakur of 
Besau, which is used as offices for the men who at- 
tend to suits and other business transactions for 
him. The rest of the party came up bringing 
my palki and my servant with the lunch box and 
soon my lunch was brought up-stairs to the room 
where I was resting while waiting until it was time to 
move on. 

Junjun is a very old city situated at the foot of a 
hill. There are a few nice buildings belonging to the 
different Thakurs of the district who come here to 
attend court or for other business. I noticed the out- 
lines of a very pretty palace which was commenced 
by Abi Sing, one of the early Rajahs of Khetri, but 
was never finished. 

After lunch, as we were about to leave, a great 
crowd of people came about me and began to clamor 
for medicine, holding up their hands, asking me to 
notice their pulse, and telling me of their ailments. 
Poor things, how utterly destitute some of them were, 
suffering for food as well as proper medical care. I 
felt like staying among them and doing what I could 
to relieve them but my stock of medicines soon gave 

[289] 



A Glimpse of India 

out and we had to hasten on to our next tent which 
was a long way off. 

It was late when we reached the place and I found 
that my tent had not been put up, but the men soon 
pitched a small hunter's tent for me and I was glad 
to lie down on a comfortable cot after my long ride 
on the elephant. It was too late for me to take din- 
ner but the rest cooked and ate their food and finally 
lay down to sleep. 

At three o'clock the watchman called out for all in 
the camp to get up and be ready for an early start. 
My cook got up and went to the well to bathe and 
say his prayers. He stumbled and hurt his leg and 
crawled back to his tent in great pain. One of the 
servants came to call me and I, thinking it was only a 
sprain, gave an order to one of the men to prepare 
some hot water and foment it, but when I went to 
him an hour later I found on second examination that 
there was dislocation. As I had no chloroform with 
me I was obliged to reduce it without and I got the 
bone in place the first trial. When we were ready to 
leave I had him put on the elephant as he could not 
ride the camel, but the motion of the elephant caused 
him much suffering. 

We arrived in Besau about ten o'clock and were 
directed to the palace where we found a crowd of men 
to receive us but not a woman servant appeared. I 
[ 290] 



A Visit to Besan 

was asked to go up-stairs and a dozen or more men 
followed me. I was ushered into a very comfortable 
room, the walls of which were covered with hideous 
paintings of all the former rajahs of the state and in 
a quiet corner I discovered the portrait of the Rajah 
of Khetri, taken when he was quite young. 

After some time and a great deal of ceremony I 
was asked to go down to the ground floor to see the 
sick child. The mother was sitting on the floor hold- 
ing her skeleton child, for the little one had been fed 
with opium ever since its birth, and for some time past 
had been ill with fever. I remained three days with 
them and left the little fellow somewhat better. The 
mother promised to send a messenger to me every day 
or two if I would continue to treat the child. I could 
not remain longer as the Rani feared that the little 
prince would need care as he was not well when I left. 
I was very glad to be able to remain as long as I did 
for it seemed such a comfort to the poor mother to 
have me with her and she began to be more hopeful 
about her child. There was a large household of 
women and a fine opportunity to talk with them and 
to give books and tracts to those who could read. 

On our way home we stayed over Sunday near a 

village of a few hundred inhabitants and during the 

day a great many people came to my tent for medicine 

and for books. I asked them to sit down and I would 

[291] 



A Glimpse of India 

tell them something from our religious books. I be- 
gan to sing a hymn in Hindustani and some of my 
servants came and joined in the singing and then I told 
the people about Christ feeding the five thousand. 
They listened most attentively while I told them what 
they must do to be saved. I must have spoken more 
than an hour, and when I dismissed them some re- 
mained wanting to hear more. I was much pleased 
with the priest of the village. He was the only one in 
the place who could read, so I gave him a number of 
books and he promised to call the people together after 
they returned from the fields at evening and read to 
them. He is quite a singer and was anxious to learn 
some of the hymns which we sang. I gave him a 
hymn-book and he learned to sing several hymns from 
one of my servants. 

Our journey home was pleasant and I trust that our 
visit was profitable to many. 

I have had news that the little sick child is much 
better. 

September p, i8pj. 

I have been away for about three weeks and find 
myself quite weary though my journey was a pleasant 
one. I found that Miss Driver had gotten on 
very well in my absence. As we have only one cook 
I was obliged to take him with me and the Rani ar- 
ranged to have Miss Driver's food sent from her 
[292] 



A Visit to Besau 

kitchen. I had an interesting time at one of my stop- 
ping-places on the way home. So many people gath- 
ered about my tent that I asked them to sit down and 
listen to some words from my religious Book. My 
servants came near and I asked them to sing a Hindi 
hymn ; this pleased the crowd and afterward I told 
them about Jesus who is the world's Saviour. They 
were very attentive and I enjoyed talking to them. 
When I dismissed them some remained to ask 
questions. 

I always carry a small supply of books and tracts as 
well as medicines, and when I found that some could 
read I gave out a number of books and told them that 
I should expect those who could read to read them to 
the others. I had a copy of the Life of the Queen of 
England with a picture of her on the cover, and notic- 
ing a very intelligent looking young man among the 
company I gave it to him. He was very much 
pleased and said that he would read it to the people of 
his village if he could persuade them to come to him 
in the evenings. 

" So we plough the fields and scatter the good 
seed, but it is fed and watered by God's Almighty 
Hand." 



[293] 



XXI 

A Marriage Arrangement 

October 6, iSpj. 
My dear Sister : 

. . . The Rani continues to read with me 
every day or with Miss Driver if I am not able to go 
to her. My Parsee friend joins us in reading the 
New Testament. I have not met a native woman so 
intensely interested in the Bible as the Rani has been 
the last two months. It does not matter what she 
may be doing when I go there she leaves it all and 
calls for her books ; the baby is sent away and the 
servants dismissed for the time and she reads not 
only one chapter but two or three before she is will- 
ing to stop, and she does not like to pass over any- 
thing that she does not understand. She seems to find 
in the New Testament just what she has been want- 
ing for years. 

The Rajah seems rather anxious over it but says 
nothing for he said in Agra that we might read the 
Bible with the Rani every day so I am doing just as 
he gave me permission to do. He thought the Rani 
so grounded in the Hindu faith that the reading of 
the Bible would not move her. He does not under- 
[294] 



A Marriage Arrangement 

stand the change in her mind which has already taken 
place. 

November fa iSgj. 

The Rani is troubled about baby, for the Rajah is 
at home and wants her to part with the little one. It 
is the custom with these royal people to take the little 
boys away from their mother at an early age and send 
them out to the father's apartments and have them 
cared for entirely by men. They think they will 
never be brave if they remain in the zanana with 
their mother and woman servants. The Rani refuses 
to part with him so early as he has no teeth yet, and 
he gets ill so easily from the least exposure. I do 
not know how the matter will end but I fear the Rajah 
will have his way. 

Yesterday the Rani asked my advice about going to 
visit her mother with the baby, as she had received a 
letter asking her to come. She says if she goes she 
can perhaps arrange to stay with her mother until the 
little prince is three years old. He is very well now 
and is growing every day. They call him Mod Raj, 
i. *., the Pearl of the Kingdom. 

I have spoken to the Rani about going to America 
and her reply was, " Not till baby is five years old," 
and when I said I could not stay so long, she said, 
" You must stay two years more, then I will give you 
leave to go to America for six months." 

[295] 



A Glimpse of India 

Five years is the usual time for a government 
servant to remain in the country without taking fur- 
lough, and our single lady missionaries have the same 
rule, so I will stay one year more if nothing occurs to 
call me home. 

November 1 8th. 

I am kept very busy with sick people and this will 
continue unless the river is drained for it is now only 
a dirty stream of nearly stagnant water. I have 
asked the prime minister to have it drained and have 
just heard that one hundred rupees had been granted 
for the purpose, but this will only pay for about a 
mile of drainage, so I shall have to make another 
request. 

I have been this morning to see a nice Brahman 
woman who has been brought here from a city 
ten miles distant to be treated. Her husband, 
sons and daughters, and servants galore came with 
her. As I have no house near mine which will ac- 
commodate so many people they will remain in the 
city. They seem to be a very loving family, quite 
devoted to each other and it is a pleasure to visit 
them. I hope I may be able to help her. 

They will remain but a few days and will continue 
the treatment at home as she is not willing to be 
separated from her family. They wish me to come 
[296] 



A Marriage Arrangement 

to their home once a week and I shall be glad to do 
so if I can arrange my work to leave for a day ; it 
will give me a pleasant outing on the elephant. 

Yesterday I was called to the city to see a woman 
who had been bitten by a snake — a cobra, but she died 
before I reached her. 

As I came from the city I had to stop to see two or 
three other ailing ones, as is usually the case, no mat- 
ter how hurried I am at the dispensary, and on my 
return the Rani sent for me to see her little Bai, the 
baby. I asked the little one if she felt sick and she 
pulled up her little jacket and put her hand over 
her body in several places, saying she had pain, 
then she laughed and ran away. I told the Rani 
that I was sure the little girl was not in need of 
medicine. She is so fearful of losing the child that 
the least thing troubles her. Young as she is the 
state recently spent eighteen thousand rupees in mak- 
ing little Bai's marriage arrangements. 

'January /, l8p^.. 

Dear Sister H : 

I took breakfast up-stairs with Miss Driver in 
her room as she was not able to come down. We 
read the Ninetieth Psalm together and had prayers. 
It was cloudy and cold in the early morning and only 
three persons came to the dispensary but after a while 

[297] 



A Glimpse of India 

the sun came out and I went out on the elephant to 
visit a patient in a village a mile and a halt" distant, 

who is head gardener to a wealthy man. My patient 
is ill with pneumonia and his surroundings are not 
conducive to his speedy recovery. There was a cow 
in the room with him, and just behind his cot was a 
large hole in the wall just where the wind would blow 
over him. It is wonderful how much these poor peo- 
ple can endure. Under such circumstances we could 
scarcelv expect one of our people to recover from such 
a dangerous disease. Mv servant, Bhima, has been 
very faithful in carrying out my orders for this man 
and I find him very much better to-day. I asked to 
have the cow taken outside and the door opened to 
air the place for Bhima had rilled the hole in the wall, 
the onlv place for fresh air, though in the wrong 
place. It has been a busv day, putting up prescrip- 
tions for the children at the palace and for others, ar- 
ranging the house, packing mv trunk and lunch basket 
and settling accounts. 

This evening I have been up to see the Rani and 
the children and had a nice little vis:: with them. 
begged to come to me at once. Dear little pet ! 
he is a real well-spring of pleasure. 

It has rained so much that it has been impossible to 
ge: camels for the men and luggage so I may not get 
or? to-morrow as I hoped and expected. 

[ 298 ] 



I Marriage Arrangement 

Camp Naranoliy Jan. jib. 

Two Mohammedan dancing women came to the 
dispensarv this morning. One of them is a bright ap- 
pearing young woman rather refined in her manners ; 
she said that she fell off a camel fifteen days ago and 
suffered ?reat pain ever since. I found she had 
been severely injured by the fall and I fear she 
not soon recover. She handed me two rupees as she 
was leaving and I was about to refuse it when I re- 
membered that women 01 her profession are never 
poor. 

The camels came at ten o'clock and we were soon 
on the way, taking the road by Xalpore instead of by 
Shimala as it is much shorter, and arriving at Naranole 
il 5.x o'clock, just before dark. 

Jant :■■■. 

I had a good night's rest and we left earlv this 
morning as we had twentv-six miles of travel to this 
:, Kund, where we arrived at three o'clock this 
afternoon. I came six miles in my palki and the rest 
of the way on the elephant. The palki bearers lagged 
behind, so I had no choice but to take the twenty 
miles in this wav, but I was too tired to speak when 
I arrived here. My head man gave the bearers a 
good scolding and said he would report them when he 
got back to Khetri. After a refreshing cup of tea I 
[ 2 9"9] 



A Glimpse of India 

changed mv dress and went to call on Mrs. Seale. 
She was glad to see me and asked me to spend the 
night with her instead of in mv tent which I was glad 
to do. I had brought her a Christmas cake and one 
hundred fine large oranges and some sweets for the 
children. About a quarter of a mile from Mrs. Seale's 
house are the slate quarries where a great many men 
are employed in getting out slate for roofing and floor- 
ing. Mr. Seale has the slate carried on camels to 
Rewari, the nearest railway station. 

Cawnp&re^ Jan. yth. 

I left Rewari at one o'clock yesterday afternoon 
and reached Delhi at three and took the mail train for 
Cawnpore at nine o'clock in the evening and arrived 
here at six this morning. I am feeling quite well 
after mv journey, and am ready to go to Conference. 
I am staying with mv old friend Mrs. Hoskins. It 
seems so good to see the old friendly faces after eight 
months of native surroundings. 

I will mail this to-day and write you about the Con- 
ference in my next letter. 

Khetri, Jan. 2 J, I S <)-}-> 
My dear Sister : 

Your last letter reached me at Cawnpore while 
I was at the Conference. I returned here on the 
twentieth in a hard rain-storm. My journey and the 
[ 30O] 



A Marriage Arrangement 

meeting with the friends of other days have quite re- 
freshed me. 

The Conference meetings were very profitable. 
The Ladies' Conference met every morning at eleven 
and continued till two o'clock. There was much dis- 
cussion and planning over the estimates and appropri- 
ations, for some of the ladies who have an extensive 
work are left without money to carry it on. I do not 
know how this could have happened for the executive 
committee at home are generally very careful to see 
that each department of work has its share of the ap- 
propriation. 

During theyear 1893 tne conversions and baptisms in 
the North India and the Northwest India Conferences 
numbered over eighteen thousand. Nearly all of these 
converts are from the lower classes and are quite illit- 
erate, so they must be taught to read and instructed in 
spiritual things. Think of all that must be accom- 
plished by a few missionary workers ! Yet if this 
teaching is neglected many of these people will return 
to their heathen customs and so bring disgrace on the 
Christian religion. 

The Conference plans to send a native pastor or 
teacher to the villages where there are Christians to 
teach them to read the Scriptures and to preach to 
them. It is wonderful how much they can learn in a 
year, but their brain power has never been overtaxed. 

[301] 



A Glimpse of India 

The Rani gained her point about the little prince 
and she still has him with her. This is his birthday, 
dear little fellow. His first year of life has been a 
hard one -, he is not well now for his teeth are troub- 
ling him and he has fever again. 

The guns are firing from the fort in honor of the 
return of the Rajah who went to Bombay in Decem- 
ber to meet the Nawab of Rampore, who has just re- 
turned from America. 

We are having a cold season for this part of India. 
Water has frozen at night and vegetables and flowers 
are frosted. 

I wrote you last June that the Rani was sending 
some of her men and a Brahman woman to a native 
state to see if an arrangement could be made for the 
engagement of her eldest daughter with the son of the 
Rajah of Shahpuri. It has taken all this time to man- 
age the affair. Three or four times men have gone 
back and forth and the matter has been fully discussed 
by both parties. First the inquiry was about the girl's 
looks — was she a beauty or was she plain-looking, — 
then about her disposition, had she her mother's tem- 
per or her father's ; can she read and is she really 
clever ? If all is satisfactory so far then comes the 
real business. How much is the Rajah willing to 
spend on the wedding ? What dowry will he give ? 
Will it be in money or jewels ? All this is now set- 
[ 302] 



A Marriage Arrangement 

tied. They will spend one hundred and ten thousand 
rupees, mostly in money and jewels. 

Then the Rajah of Khetri presents his requests. 
He wishes his daughter to have yearly ten thousand 
rupees for her own private pocket-money, and he does 
not wish the marriage to take place until she enters 
her fourteenth year. On the answer to these requests 
hangs the future of dear Bai. If the father of the 
young man consents to give the yearly allowance de- 
sired and to wait until the time stated for the mar- 
riage then the arrangement will be completed. 

It seems a very good opportunity for Bai. The 
Rajah of Shahpuri has taken great care of his son, and 
had him educated in the Ajmere College under an 
English gentleman who has had constant oversight of 
him, and it is said that the young man has no bad 
habits. He is eighteen years old and Bai is nearly 
twelve. 

Neither the Rajah nor his son are idol-worshippers. 
They belong to the Arya Somaj, a sect which does not 
believe at all in the Son of God, but does believe in 
worshipping God alone. I think it will be easier for 
Bai with the teaching she has had to go into this 
family than into a bigoted Hindu family where she 
would be obliged to worship the household gods. 
Dear little girl, she wants to serve God in the right 
way and to do right but she will have many trials 

[303] 



A Glimpse of India 

even in this family which she is about to enter, for 
they are far from Christ. 

February 8, l8p£. 

My dear M : 

The Rajah's secretary has just come to ask 
me to go with the Rani's two little girls and the 
Parsee and his wife to the new reservoir. He has 
had tents pitched for us and we will take our tea 
things and have tea there and then have a boat-ride. 
This being a holiday he thought we ought to celebrate 
in some way. Miss Driver will not be able to go as 
it has been raining and is too damp and cold for her. 
Baby has cut one upper tooth and he has been vacci- 
nated and has been rather ill with both these troubles 
but he is better to-day. The Rani and I finished the 
reading of the New Testament yesterday. 

The Rani seems very happy. She was out to the 
reservoir a short time ago, and one evening the Rajah 
sent all the men away from the place and took her 
down and showed her the masonry and explained the 
works to her. She enjoyed these few days in the 
country and came home refreshed and pleased with 
her visit. We were invited to go with her but it 
was difficult to get men enough to carry the palkis on 
so short a notice and it was too hot for us to go on 
the elephant so we declined. 

The Rajah's men have caught the tigress of which 

[304] 




The Khetri Heir. 



A Marriage Arrangement 

we were so much afraid when at the country seat last 
summer. She was seen going into one of the copper 
mines and twenty men were sent out to entrap her. 
They placed a strong cage over the opening of the 
mine and watched for several days and at last she 
ventured to come up into the cage. We are glad to 
have her caught but do not like to have the creature 
become a resident of Khetri, and live near us. A 
stronger cage has been prepared, but I do not think 
any bars can securely hold a fierce jungle tiger. 

My ayah has just come in to say that the men 
have arrived with the tigress and have taken it to the 
gateway of the Rani's palace and she has been down 
to look at it. I hope they will not send it down here 
for me to see ! 

February 22a 1 . 

The birthday of the little prince was celebrated on 
the fourteenth of this month, though he was born on the 
27th of January. The real birthday is not celebrated 
among the Hindus but their pundit or priest appoints a 
propitious day. A durbar or reception was held for him 
and the men and children who came were dressed in 
bright yellow coats, making a brilliant looking company. 

The baby prince wore a little yellow silk coat and 
pants. Such a little mite in pants looked very com- 
ical. Presents of various kinds, and money were 
brought, every one giving according to his salary. 

[305] 



XXII 
A Royal Wedding 



Khetri, Rajputana^ India , 'June 22, 1894.. 

My dear Miss J : 

Your letter of March 1st reached me in April 
and as soon as I had finished reading it I wrote one 
sheet in answer and then was called away ; now I 
will make another trial which I hope may be suc- 
cessful. 

I think our kind Father put it into your heart to 
write to me for your letter did me much good, it was 
so natural and so cheery. I have felt a fresh inspira- 
tion ever since ; the thought of the crocuses and 
snowdrops of my youthful days sometimes gives me a 
longing for the homeland. 

I have been without a companion since the 19th 
of February. Miss Driver who had been with me 
four years was obliged to take a change but she 
did not expect to be away so long and I thought I 
could stay alone for a short time. When I learned 
that she was too ill to return I tried to get some one 
to spend the hot season with me but no one seemed 
willing to take the long journey in the great heat so I 
have been alone with natives all around me. None 

[306] 



A Royal Wedding 

of them are Christians and I have felt the isolation 
very much and have longed sometimes for some one 
to speak with in my own language. Letters have 
been a great boon and so have my home papers and 
books. 

You wish to know of my surroundings. First I 
will tell you about our new house which has been in 
process of building for over four years and is not 
completed yet, though it is so nearly finished that I 
moved into it at the beginning of the hot weather. 
It is a stone building, the walls, roof, and door casings 
all of stone, no wood about it except the doors. 

There is a drawing-room thirty feet by twenty and 
a bedroom on each side of this twenty by twenty; 
behind the drawing-room is the dining-room twenty 
by twenty feet — a lovely room with one fine arch. 
The walls are colored buff, panelled with orange and 
white. It is very pretty and is much admired by the 
natives. 

The drawing-room is a deep rose color panelled with 
white and the arches are prettily decorated. The 
bedrooms are pale rose and white. Over each door 
is an arch filled in with white glass and the upper half 
of the doors are glass. The rooms are eighteen feet 
in height. 

The house stands on a rock and is higher than the 
palace or any other house in this part of the town, 

[307] 



A Glimpse of India 

and we were hoping that on account of the height it 
would be very cool but the rocks around it absorb the 
heat so it is not as cool as we thought it would be. 
It will be more comfortable in the cold season. From 
the veranda and the housetop we have a fine view of 
Khetri, which is a city of six thousand inhabitants. 
Its site is elevated, and in the rainy season the dark 
green foliage in the background extending over the 
surrounding hills makes a varied and pleasing land- 
scape, while the light yellow hills formed of sand 
blown in waves from the desert add to the artistic 
effect. 

The houses of the city are of stone, many of them 
plastered outside and whitewashed. A number of 
handsome temples can be seen from the house. In 
the rest-houses are other temples, one of which is 
tastefully decorated in colors with kiosks and min- 
arets. At evening the gongs are struck for prayers. 
It reminds me of home and is the only familiar sound 
I hear in this far-away place. 

There are no wild flowers here, and English flow- 
ers, especially annuals, do not come to perfection. 
Creepers and flowering shrubs grow well, and there 
are some very beautiful flowering trees. The flowers 
from the babool tree are just beginning to drop and 
I will enclose a pressed one. Just now I have neither 
garden nor potted plants, and there is really no place 

[308] 



A Royal Wedding 

for a garden but I hope to have potted plants in the 
veranda in the cold season. 

The palace is so near that I often walk over there 
in the evening. The Rajah has only one wife — a 
bright and clever woman. She has two daughters 
and a son seventeen months old. The older girl will 
be twelve years old in September and the younger one 
six in January. Both of them are betrothed and the 
older one, a dear little girl, will be married when she 
enters her fourteenth year. The lady who was with 
me was her governess. She has been taking music 
lessons and learning English and she reads well in 
her own language. On Sunday she made a cap for 
her little brother and ornamented it on the crown 
with a pink and blue hen worked in wool, and around 
the top she worked the motto, " God is Love." 
This was all her own idea. She has not learned to 
keep the Sabbath and thought it was all right to make 
the cap but she wished in some way to have God 
connected with it. She is fond of learning verses of 
Scripture and has a much prized book in which she 
writes them. 

The younger princess is bright and playful. She 
has a number of dolls which she sets up in a row and 
in her funny way she teaches them the Ten Com- 
mandments and the Lord's Prayer; but it is the little 
prince who is the great treasure of the household and 
[ 309] 



A Glimpse of India 

the mother's idol. He does not yet walk because he is 
always in some one's arms, and whatever he cries for 
he gets whether it is good for him or not, so he keeps 
his doctor busy putting up prescriptions for indiges- 
tion, sleeplessness and various other ailments. Not- 
withstanding all the bad management he is a sweet little 
fellow, very affectionate and a great pet with us all. 

I have a small dispensary where I receive patients 
up to twelve o'clock j after that they come to my house 
at all hours of the day, for many come a long distance, 
from the country and the surrounding villages, and 
this is one reason why I have been so long in answer- 
ing your letter. I cannot do much in this great heat 
but look after the sick. Though my out practice is not 
very extensive at this time yet it takes much time 
to go among the people and I have only six men to 
carry my palki and twice a day is as often as they can 
carry me any distance. 

I have a little zanana work at evening which I much 
enjoy, and always a service on Sunday for my servants 
and any others who wish to attend. We had interest- 
ing meetings last Sunday, and all joined heartily in the 
hymns ; some of the men are excellent singers. 

Agra, Dec. 12, 1894. 
Dear Sister : 

We are all in Agra, and the Rani had planned 

for us to stay here until it was time for us to go to 

[310] 



A Royal Wedding 

the hills for the hot season but an unforeseen difficulty 
has arisen and she expects now to return to Khetri in 
a few weeks to marry their daughter. At the time of 
her betrothal it was arranged that the marriage should 
not take place until next October when Bai would be 
thirteen years old. The young man is now twenty 
and he thinks he must be married and his father 
threatens to break the engagement and make another 
arrangement for his son if the Rajah does not allow 
his daughter's marriage to take place early in the year. 
This would be expensive for the Rajah as he has al- 
ready given a part of the marriage dowry, so it seems 
necessary to consent. 

Poor Bai ! it seems dreadful for a child of only 
twelve years to be married. The Rani does not like 
the thought of Bai being taken away so young but she 
says they are forced to agree to it as this young man seems 
to be the only suitable person for Bai in all Rajputana. 

Physically Bai is as well developed as an American 
girl of sixteen but in mind she is not as mature and 
still prefers her dolls and play and her lessons to any- 
thing else. She will probably have a governess and 
go on with her lessons after she goes to her husband's 
house. The Rajah comes soon to make purchases for 
the wedding. 

Nineteenth. 

The Rani and Rajah are very busy in selecting and 

[311] 



A Glimpse of India 

buying jewels and clothing for their daughter. Noth- 
ing seems to make native people so happy as to have 
an occasion to buy jewels. They call jewelers from 
different cities and take great delight in the varieties 
of beautiful ornaments that are sent into the zanana. 
Trays of them are brought in worth thousands of 
rupees, necklaces, bangles, head ornaments, jewels for 
the hands and feet, the toes and ankles, some in most 
curious designs. The state buys the jewels after the 
Rajah and Rani have selected them. Emeralds, 
pearls, and diamonds are the Rani's choice. Their 
present for the bridegroom is an emerald necklace, 
worth, they say, three thousand rupees, and for their 
daughter they have bought a necklace and bracelets set 
with pearls and diamonds, beautiful to look at but so 
heavy. I am often asked to let them see how the 
jewels look on a white person. 

Great preparations are being made for the wedding. 
Twenty thousand rupees' worth of jewels are to be 
given besides quantities of clothing, silverware and 
other things. The wedding will not cost less than 
one hundred thousand rupees. All the arrangements 
will be made by the state officials. 

Khetri, Jan. 28, l8pj. 
My dear Sister : 

We are in the midst of the great preparations 

[312] 



A Royal Wedding 

for the wedding of the princess. These have been 
going on several weeks, and this is Monday, only two 
days before the ceremony. Already guests are begin- 
ning to arrive. The Rani's sister came on Saturday 
with four hundred attendants, consisting of noblemen, 
state officials and servants, with all their trappings. 
There were three elephants and, I think, two hundred 
camels besides horses, oxen and a number of convey- 
ances. This is oriental style. On a grand wedding 
occasion guests bring all the grand things they have 
in order to make a fine show. They think it adds to 
their dignity and importance. These people were in- 
vited to come four days before the wedding and they 
will be entertained and their servants and animals fed 
and cared for until after the marriage. Several others 
are expected to arrive to-day. 

The Rajah of Secor has already sent one hundred 
line horses and will arrive to-dav with about one 
thousand people, three hundred camels, oxen, tents, 
horses, carriages and elephants. The Maharajah of 
Jodhpore will arrive the day after the wedding as the 
Rajah and his suite cannot go out to meet him in 
proper style before that time. We have come down 
into our old home and put our new house in order for 
the Maharajah. 

On Wednesdav, the day of the ceremonv, the Rajah 
and his men will go out to receive the bridegroom and 
[ 313] 



A Glimpse of India 

his father's family. The people of Khetri will go out 
about a mile and the returning procession will number 
about six thousand people on elephants, camels, and 
horses, all clad in bright colors. Yellow is the color 
representing joy and gladness. The gates of the pal- 
ace gardens are trimmed with red, green and yellow 
cloth and all Khetri is looking very bright and pretty. 
The roads have been repaired and many of the build- 
ings and the filthy places made clean and wholesome 
for the grand occasion. 

But our poor little princess is sad at the thought 
that she must so soon leave her home and her mother. 
She cries a great deal, and the Rajah, I hear, begins to 
feel her leaving very much, and sheds tears with her. 
Khetri will be very lonely for us all without our little 
Bai. She was only two and a half years old when I 
came here ten years ago in March. Bai would like 
Miss Driver to go with her to her new home and stay 
for a while and perhaps she will do so if she is well 
enough. 

The walks and drives in the public garden have 
been nicely done up and the Rajah has purchased a 
beautiful fountain to be placed on the circular lawn. 
Men are still at work on the roads and in the gardens. 

I have had nothing to do except to arrange the 
Rani's drawing-room, and the one in our house for 
the Maharajah of Jodhpore who is somewhat ac- 

[314] 



A Royal Wedding 

customed to English ways, so I helped to arrange the 
rooms a little after our style. I will finish this after 
the wedding. 

February 5th. 

There was an immense number of people present 
for more than a week to attend the ceremonies. I 
will give you an idea in figures which the secretary 
has given me. The bridegroom's party consisted of 
two thousand five hundred people who brought three 
hundred camels, nine elephants, five hundred horses 
and fifty pairs of bullocks attached to conveyances. 
These all came with him from his father's city. 

On the invitation of the Rajah of Khetri there 
came over seven thousand nine hundred people, bring- 
ing with them nearly two thousand horses, nineteen 
hundred camels, twelve elephants, and seventy-eight 
pairs of bullocks with conveyances. All these people 
and their animals were fed for more than a week by 
the state. Besides the invited guests there were many 
thousands who came in to witness the grand proces- 
sion when the bridegroom came. The Rajah and 
several thousand of his people went to meet him with 
their horses, elephants and bullocks, and the state 
cavalry and infantry helped to form the procession, 
headed by a brass band. When the two processions 
met about two miles from the city a cannon was fired 
to announce the meeting. The bridegroom alighted 

[315] 



A Glimpse of India 

from his horse and mounted an elephant and a golden 
umbrella was held over him and golden fans waved to 
keep flies away. It was a fine sight as they entered 
the city. Guns were fired and the horses were 
prancing, but no one in all the crowd was hurt, so far 
as I have heard. 

February l$th. 

My dear Miss G : 

The wedding of the princess took place on the 
thirtieth of last month but there were other ceremonies 
which continued several days so it seemed most 
tedious. I think poor Bai must feel most thoroughly 
married after all the ceremonies she has had to pass 
through. She had to sit nearly three hours under a 
red canopy beside the bridegroom — with her face 
covered — while the priest read pages of Sanskrit 
which not a person present except the priests could 
understand and they constantly disputed the meaning. 
Ghi was burned and different flowers used which per- 
haps had a special meaning but I have not found any 
one yet who could explain their significance. 

Near the end of the ceremony the Rajah sat inside 
under the canopy and the Rani outside in a small en- 
closure and they were connected to each other by a 
silken cord, showing that their daughter Bai was a 
legal child. 

Carpets were spread on the ground in the court of 

[316] 



A Royal Wedding 

the Rani's palace under the red cloth canopy which 
was arranged for the marriage and in the centre of 
this stood a table with the jewels — the wedding pres- 
ents, and near the table on the carpet the display of 
silver articles was prettily arranged. A small silver 
table about a foot high, a large silver urn for drinking 
water which would hold ten or twelve quarts, a gold 
drinking vessel, a beautiful silver bedstead with a green 
and purple mattress and pillows of rich velvet, tied at 
each post with a silver cord and tassels, were among 
the presents. The bride and groom sat on this bed- 
stead while the Rajahs and people of note came in 
and presented their gifts of money in gold and silver. 
The bride sat veiled and her husband received the 
gifts for her. There were bags of rupees near the 
table containing forty thousand rupees in cash. The 
bags were made of clean white cloth and each held 
two thousand rupees. 

Next came the clothing — sixty suits for the bride, 
full large skirts trimmed with gold lace and scores of 
lovely chadars or veils of fine, thin material. Then 
there were numbers of shawls, turbans and cloths for 
the servants and some to give away. There must 
have been several hundred of these all nicely folded 
and placed in order. There were boxes of different 
sizes, trunks of leather and of wood, cooking utensils, 
lamps and many things I cannot name. 

[317] 



A Glimpse of India 

Women servants stood around holding lighted 
torches so the place was well lighted and everything 
could be seen to advantage. The zanana women 
were requested to retire, then the Rajah came in fol- 
lowed by his royal guests, then others of note and so 
on till the place was crowded. After viewing the 
things for a few minutes the Rajah formed them all 
into a procession and they walked around the presents 
in single file taking a good look at everything. When 
they all went out the Rajah asked Miss Driver to 
guard the silver and me to stand by the jewels while 
the women passed around to view them. There 
were so many women servants in the crowd that there 
was danger of theft. It was rather late when all this 
was over, but to me it seemed a prettier sight than 
the wedding itself. 

The state, I hear, gave twenty thousand rupees* 
worth of jewels, the Rani gave five thousand and the 
Rajah gave his share. Each rajah who was invited 
gave jewels and clothing, an elephant and eight horses 
and a sum of money, and each guest gave according 
to his position in society. The jewels were very fine, 
especially those given by the state and the parents. 
The Rajah and Rani have very fine taste in their 
selection of jewels. 

Poor little Bai ! Only twelve years old and such a 
host of things to care for ! A list of her jewels and all 

[318] 



A Royal Wedding 

the other things was written and given to her. She 
took one hundred men and women from Khetri with 
her when she went to her husband's home. All her 
servants are from Khetri. We hear that Bai is very 
happy but no one knows whether it is true or not. 

The native doctor here has had a stroke of paralysis 
and I am now looking after him. He begins to im- 
prove a little and I trust that he may partially recover, 
but he is an opium-eater and takes wine, too, so his 
chance of recovery is not as good as it would be if he 
had not indulged in these habits. 

Camp Rewari, April 8, 1895. 

My dear M : 

I left Khetri on the 30th of March and ar- 
rived here on the third of this month, on my way to 
Mount Abu to spend the hot season. The Rani was 
not ready to start when I did and she only came in 
last evening. It was getting so hot that I did not 
like to wait longer as after the hot winds begin to 
blow even night travelling is exceedingly uncomfort- 
able. 

May gth. 
We did not reach Abu till the 17th of April and I 
have been busy getting settled, receiving and making 
calls, attending meetings and looking after the children 
and the sick people in our camp. 
[319] 



A Glimpse of India 

I must tell you how pleasantly I am settled here. 
Before we left Khetri I told the Rajah that I would 
like him to hire a house for me if he wished me to go 
to Abu with the family for I was unwilling to go to a 
hotel among gay and fashionable people for two or 
three months, and he has rented this house which 
suits me perfectly. It belongs to an English lady who 
is a very earnest Christian ; she devotes much of her 
time to spiritual work, visiting the Soldiers' Hospital 
and many families where she reads the Bible to them. 

The house has a large hall which is set apart for 
service for Dissenters, as those people are called who 
do not belong to the Established Church. Every Fri- 
day evening there is a Bible class in the hall with a 
good number in attendance, and every morning we 
have a short service there. At first only three women 
and one man came to the meeting, but we prayed for 
the outpouring of the Spirit upon the people of Abu 
and God has blessed our faith. Two persons have 
been converted and several others have been led to at- 
tend the Wednesday and Sunday evening services. 
There is but one church edifice here and the clergy- 
man this season is very ritualistic. 

The Rani has a very pleasant place about half a 

mile away. Bai Sahiba and her husband are here and 

her parents are very happy with their three children. 

The little prince is learning English and we are all 

[ 320] 



A Royal Wedding 

teaching him words. His pronunciation is very funny 
sometimes. I am afraid we shall spoil him for gov- 
ernor of the state, and he has already spoiled me for 
America. I do not see how I shall get on without 
him. 

Last evening I called on the Ranis of Serohi. The 
Rajah of Serohi owns the whole of Abu which is a 
part of his state. r He has two wives, one of whom 
has a little boy of seven years ; the younger wife has 
two little girls, one six and one four years, and a little 
son about three years old. All of them are beautiful 
children. Two European women have charge of 
them ; one teaches them and the other looks after 
their clothes and has a general oversight of them. 

Both the Ranis are rather pretty and somewhat re- 
fined. Each has her separate apartments, separate 
servants and separate purses. They have a nice 
house furnished throughout with English furniture. 
The Rajah treats them kindly and seems fond of all 
the children, but I hear that he loves the first wife 
best, and of course her son is the heir. 

The Rajah and Rani of Khetri would like to make a 
marriage arrangement for their son with the youngest 
daughter of the Serohi Rajah, which would be very 
suitable, for the little girl will be educated and so will 
our little prince. 

I have been asked to speak to the European woman 

[321] 



A Glimpse of India 

in charge of the children about bringing about an ar- 
rangement. Fancy my making a marriage arrange- 
ment for a child two and a half years old ! 

In conversation with the woman I found that the 
little girl's marriage arrangement is already made. 

July ph. 

I have just remembered that this is the day when 
you all feel your independence. I hope you are hav- 
ing a pleasant day. 

My engagement with the Khetri state expires on 
the 8th of October but I may not be able to leave un- 
til January, when our Conference will meet in Meerut; 
I want to attend that and then get my luggage off to 
Bombay where it will remain until I sail. 

I have not told you what a pleasure it was to us all 
to have Bai Sahiba with us. She and her husband 
came to Abu and stayed six weeks. She seems very 
happy in her new relation ; her husband is very kind 
and indulgent and it appears to be a very suitable mar- 
riage. Bai is glad to be with her parents and her lit- 
tle sister and brother who are so dear to her. She will 
go home with us to Khetri and spend several weeks 
and she wishes me to engage a person to teach her 
painting while she is there. 

While in Abu I sent to Bombay and got a book on 
water-color painting and a box of paints, thinking it 
[ 322] 



A Royal Wedding 

would amuse the children when they were not at their 
lessons, and it proved to be a pleasure to the parents 
as well as the children. They all sat at a table to- 
gether and the Rajah tried to outdo the Rani in pic- 
ture painting, while the children were just as much in 
earnest in their endeavor to see which could paint the 
prettiest bird or animal. Enthusiasm ran high for a 
time. Bai Sahiba has done well in music and I do 
not doubt that she will make a success in painting, 
for she applies herself well to anything which she un- 
dertakes. 



[ 323] 



XXIII 

Last Days 



Khetri, Sept. 2p, 1895. 
My dear Sister : 

My days are so much alike that there is not 
much variety in my letters, I fear. The daily round is 
much the same. 

We had our usual Sunday service yesterday and I 
will tell you of a little incident which will interest 
you. A Brahman from the city came in and seemed 
inclined to talk. He said that he received great benefit 
from having an idol in his house and asked my opin- 
ion of idol-worship. He said that when he entered 
his house and saw the idol it helped to remind him of 
his hour for prayer. I said that God had given us so 
many reminders of Himself in nature that it did not 
seem necessary to have an idol, the work of men's 
hands, to remind us to speak to Him. I referred him 
to the beautiful green hills around us, the trees and 
flowers, and the fields so rich in color, and asked him 
if these were not sufficient to make us think of God 
and to fill our hearts with praise and prayer. I then 
turned to the Commandments in the Hindi Bible and 
read them aloud to show him that I could not believe 
[324] 



Last Days 

in idols when God had so strictly forbidden us to 
make any image, to bow down to any likeness of any- 
thing to worship it. 

After I had again read the first and second Com- 
mandment he had nothing more to say, but listened 
attentively while we read and explained a few verses 
of the sixth chapter of Matthew and repeated the 
Lord's Prayer. He seemed to get a new idea and 
when we sang "Jesus, Saviour of my Soul " in Hindi 
he joined most heartily. I am anxious to see if he 
will come again next Sunday, for he seemed much im- 
pressed. 

Baby has cut two more teeth. He was ill for a few 
days but is better now and is running about with a 
chicken under each arm. Our little Bai is quite ill 
and I feel troubled about her. She is so delicate that 
she will not be able to stand a severe illness. 

The Rani is very unhappy over my leaving. She 
really begins to believe that I will go to America, and 
she is wondering whom she can get in my place, and if 
they will like another doctor. She makes herself very 
unhappy over it, hoping, I think, that her sorrow will 
make me change my mind about leaving. 

Thirtieth. 
We are having very hot days and no rain. I have 
had a very busy morning. Just after my early cup of 
[ 325] 



A Glimpse of India 

tea I went to the city to see a wee baby who has sore 
mouth and eyes. On my way home I stopped at the 
palace to see the children, but found that the Rajah 
was in with them so I did not wait. 

A number of sad cases have come to the dispensary, 
some of them so hopeless that I long for the marvel- 
lous " gift of healing." They come with such faith 
that I can heal them and I have to tell them that 
medicine cannot cure them. To comfort them I give 
some simple remedy. 

Among the patients this morning was a little boy 
with softening of the bones who was brought to me 
from a distant village. Yesterday a young man six- 
teen years of age was brought who had the same 
trouble. Both are Hindus and never take animal 
food. I cannot persuade them to change their diet 
for their friends would rather let them die than have 
them taste meat or eggs. 

Just after my last patient had gone I was called to 
the palace. The Rajah wanted to ask me about the 
hill stations, which would be the most suitable for 
them to go to next hot season. The Rani is so de- 
termined to leave Khetri in January when I do that 
the Rajah thinks it best to decide on a place and then 
let the Rani go to the nearest plains station and stay 
there until it is time to go up to the hills. They 
finally decided on Almorah, beyond Naini Tal and 

[326] ' 



Last Days 

they will go to Bareilly and remain there until the 
hot season. 

The Rajah asked if I would not stay and go to the 
hills and get a little stronger before going to America. 
I told him I thought my native climate would be the 
best for me. Then he said, " You ought not to re- 
main in America more than a year. You should then 
come back to us." I replied, " I am getting old 
enough to go to heaven before many years." " Yes," 
he said, " but India is just as near heaven as America ; 
you can go to heaven from here." He seems to think 
that I must stay with them as long as I live. I shall 
be very sorry to leave them, especially the children. 

October 28th. 

I have secured a young lady to give Bai Sahiba 
painting lessons. She came from Meerut accompa- 
nied by her mother, and they will probably remain 
permanently, as the Rani would like the young lady 
to be governess and companion for little Bai. The 
two women are living with me. One day last week 
we went out with a party to hunt leopards. The 
place was not more than two miles from our home 
but we had to go up and down very steep hills and 
some sand hills. 

Two leopards were shot by the Rajah and his men 
but we were at a safe distance on our elephant and 
[327] 



A Glimpse of India 

not in any danger. It was quite exciting when the 
men beat the jungle and the leopards came out, run- 
ning here and there to save themselves while the 
Rajah and his party were firing at them. After the 
leopards were dead the men brought them to us. One 
of them was a young one and very prettily marked, 
the other seemed quite old. Before the skins were 
taken off they were taken to the court of the Rani's 
palace for her and the children to see. The Rajah is 
very proud of his tiger and leopard skins. 

We enjoyed the outing very much \ it was quite a 
change for us. 

Another day I had to go out to a village eight miles 
away to see a sick woman. The Rajah's secretary 
made arrangements for us to stop in a native serai in 
the village and he sent out a rug for the floor and 
some chairs, and we took cushions and pillows. The 
mattress from the elephant, spread on the floor, gave 
us a nice place to rest. 

We took our lunch with us, and the secretary sent 
us some of his food which we enjoyed very much. 
One dish was artichokes cooked in butter and lemon 
juice, and another was string beans cooked in the 
same way. 

A crowd of people came to see us, many of them 
with ailments of difFerent kinds, and all clamoring for 
medicine. I went to see my sick woman in her 

[328] 



Last Days 

house and ministered to her, and was called to see 
another woman so it was rather a busy day. 

We took another road coming home which led us 
through stony ravines and up such steep hills that we 
sometimes found it hard to keep our seat on the ele- 
phant. One hill was so steep and so long that we all 
dismounted and walked rather than run the risk of 
falling off backward. 

The Maharajah of Jodhpore died suddenly about 
twelve days ago and the Rajah has gone there as he 
and the Maharajah were warm friends. The chief 
friends of the deceased were invited to meet in Jodh- 
pore on the twelfth day after the death to condole 
with the family and join in the feast to be given when 
the days of mourning are over. All mourning ends 
with a feast. 

The weather is much cooler and we are all able to 
do more work. These rides out into the country do 
us much good. We hope to go out again some day 
this week. I shall miss my patient old elephant when 
I leave Khetri. I feel quite attached to her ; she has 
been so faithful and has so many times carried 
us so carefully over and through really dangerous 
places. 

Khetri, Nove?nber 2gth. 
Your letter of October 9th came three weeks ago 
[ 329] 



A Glimpse of India 

and I must try to answer by this next mail. I am 
just as busy as ever. 

Last week we moved down to our old house in 
order to give up ours to the Agent General of Rajpu- 
tana who came here for three days. It was the 
proper thing to do but it made a great deal of extra 
work for me. I had to pack and put away in the store- 
room things that we did not need to take with us, and 
the extra furniture was put away to make room for 
better things from the palace. The carriage drive 
from the palace gardens up to our house was bordered 
with flags on poles which were wound with bright 
colored cloth, and there were six larger flags flying 
from the top of our house. 

The agent comes into Khetri in great style. The 
Rajah goes out a mile to meet him with carriage and 
horses, elephants and horsemen, and when they meet 
guns are fired. The Rajah and the agent mount the 
state elephant and seat themselves in the state howdah 
which is made of silver and gold, and a man sits at 
the back and waves a big yak tail over them. Eleven 
guns were fired when they reached the house and dis- 
mounted. The Rajah escorted the agent up the steps 
and into our drawing-room, then left him and went to 
the palace and in the afternoon they exchanged calls. 

Then came the grand durbar at four o'clock and 
after that a drive to the gardens. The agent dined 
t 330] 



Last Days 

alone in our beautiful yellow drawing-room in the 
evening. On Monday evening the .Rajah gave a 
grand dinner at the palace to which we were invited 
but did not go. Although we were not at the dinner 
we were at the palace with the Rani in a room so ar- 
ranged with a curtain that we could see the agent at 
his dinner. This is a treat the Rani enjoys, to see 
the table arrangements and people eating with knife 
and fork. After dinner there were fireworks and the 
whole city was illuminated and the palace was one 
glow of light. The fort on a hill twelve hundred feet 
above the city was illuminated and was a beautiful 
sight. We went up on the roof of the palace where 
we could see the whole display. 

Baby has a cold and fever and I remained at the 
palace all night to see that the medicines were 
properly given ; this morning he is better. There 
is great anxiety when anything is the matter with 
him. I get quite tired with running back and forth 
between my house and the palace. 

The day I have chosen for my departure from 
Khetri is, in the estimation of the friends here, an 
unauspicious one for starting on a journey in the 
direction in which I shall travel, and as the state ar- 
ranges for my journey as far as the railway station, I 
must wait until the pundit announces an auspicious 
day for travelling south. 

[331] 



A Glimpse of India 

Remaining here a few days longer will not inter- 
fere with my steamer arrangements, and it will save 
my friends here some anxiety for they believe that I 
should certainly meet with an accident if I should 
start on a day which the pundits consider unfavorable, 

Metropole Hotel, Agra, Dec. 2J, iSpJ. 
My dear Sister : 

This is Christmas Day, as you see, but if I 
wish you a Merry Christmas the day will not only be 
gone before this reaches you but the year 1895 will 
have passed away and 1896 will be nearly a month 
old, so I will wish you a joyous and happy New 
Year, such an one as God wishes all His children to 
have, with so much of His Spirit and life dwelling in 
us that nothing shall offend us and we may rejoice al- 
way. 

It is the custom here to send Christmas cards and 
greetings the first thing in the morning, and to friends 
at a distance we send by mail so that they will get our 
greetings by the morning delivery. 

Christmas bells began to ring at nine o'clock for 
morning service. We had a very good Christmas 
service in our church, a good sermon and responsive 
readings from Isaiah ninth chapter and Luke second 
chapter. The hymns were beautiful and heartily 
sung, 

[ 332] 



Last Days 

The text was the sixth verse of Isaiah ninth. Our 
minister is a talented Anglo-Indian, well educated 
and a good preacher. The congregation includes 
Irish, Scotch and English soldiers, some Anglo-Indians 
and Hindustanis, and one American always when she 
is in from Khetri. 

Bishop Thoburn is holding the Bombay Conference 
this week and on January 3d the North India Con- 
ference will meet in Moradabad. On the tenth the 
Northwest India Conference meets in Meerut. This 
is the Conference to which I belong. 

'January 24, 1896. 
A week ago I returned from the Conference, the 
last one, probably, which I shall attend in India. 
Bishop Walden and his wife from America, " Mother " 
Nind, who has been visiting our Eastern missions, 
and her travelling companion, Miss Baucus of Japan, 
and Rev. Spencer Lewis and family of China, were 
present. One of the sessions of the Conference 
was given to a self-support demonstration. Twenty- 
seven of the native ministers had been for the past 
year depending for their support on the native con- 
gregations to which they minister and they were 
called forward to give their experience and to let us 
see that they had been as well cared for as those who 
had been on regular salary. Toward the close of the 
[ 333] 



A Glimpse of India 

meeting the specimens of their industries which had 
been brought by the native Christians to be sold for 
the benefit of the Self-Support Fund were sold at auc- 
tion and quite a sum netted to begin the work of the 
next year. 

The things were arranged in the chapel hall of the 
school building. There were small cotton rugs from 
the weavers, shoes from the shoemakers, some fine 
deerskins given by a licensed hunter, goatskins 
nicely prepared, a few chickens, baskets of eggs, jars 
of flour and other grains, stamped cloth, fans made 
by the women, some beautiful darned lace, and vari- 
ous other things. Everything was sold. This to me 
was quite a new phase of mission work. These self- 
support ministers have no fixed sum to their credit 
but take what their people give them. 

Quite a number of the people present are leaving 
for America soon, some of them from our missions — 
North and South India — and the China and Japan 
missionaries, together with the visitors from America. 
I expect to sail with one company on March 23d. 

I am staying with Miss Yerbury, who was one of 
my students fourteen years ago. She attended the 
Madras Medical College for four years and passed her 
examinations there and then had five years in the Duf- 
ferin Hospital. After that she went to England and 
Germany and took her degree and returned to India 
[334] 



Last Days 

a year ago, and now holds the senior position in the 
Lady Lyall Hospital. She was born in India of 
English parents who died when she was young. 
While with me as a patient in Bareilly I persuaded 
her to study medicine. She is one of the most suc- 
cessful lady practitioners, popular with the natives, 
and is doing a fine work. In addition to her hospital 
work she has charge of the Training School, and lec- 
tures in the Medical School. 

Red Sea, March 28th. 

We expect to reach Suez on the thirtieth and Port 
Said on Tuesday. Our voyage from Bombay has 
been most delightful, no winds or storms to impede 
our progress. On the sixth day from Bombay we 
arrived at Aden where we remained ten hours to un- 
load freight and take on coal. Our steamer, the 
Oceanic, consumes fifty tons of coal a day and the 
average run is three hundred and fifty miles. There 
are over three hundred people on board, seventy-two 
of whom are first-class passengers. Our missionary 
party of eleven sit together at meals and have our 
chairs near each other on deck and pass the time 
pleasantly in reading, chatting and writing letters. 

Mrs. Nind has decided not to go to Palestine but 
Miss Baucus and I will go unless our agent at Port 
Said advises us not to do so on account of cholera 
[ 335 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

which was prevalent in India when we left and may 
be in Jaffa and Jerusalem. 

Twenty -ninth. 
We had a very hot night and it is uncomfortably 
warm this morning. Mrs. Nind says she does not 
wonder that the Israelites wanted to turn back when 
they reached the Red Sea if it was as hot then as it is* 
now. We have passed the twelve large rocks which 
are called " The Twelve Apostles." 

Thirtieth. 

We reached Suez to-day and stopped to take on a 
pilot to take us through the canal. It takes twenty 
hours to go through as steamers go only from five to 
seven miles an hour. The company pays at the rate 
of ten shillings apiece for each passenger and a certain 
rate a ton for the cargo, and this steamer's payment 
will amount to six or seven thousand dollars. 

The sail through the canal has been very pleasant 
so far. I noticed some improvements along the line 
of the railway. The fresh water canal recently built 
by the Khedive from the Nile to Suez will prove a 
great blessing. The green fields that we see in the 
distance and the little houses which, though rude, 
look comfortable, add to the scene and the mustard 
fields which are now in blossom enrich the landscape. 
We have just been on deck to get a view of the First 

[336] 



Last Days 

Bitter Lake, through which we move faster as there 
are no near shores to wash away as in the canal. 
With my field-glass I get a fine view. I have never 
enjoyed a sail through the canal so much before. 
The sun is hot but there is a cool breeze which makes 
it very pleasant. We shall soon reach Port Said and 
there we shall take a steamer for Joppa. 



[ 337] 



Part III 

Return to India 
iqo6-iqo8 




Dr. C. A. Swain, 

1906. 



XXIV 

Return to India 



Bareilly, Jan. 2, 1907. 
My dear Dr. Mary : 

We sailed from New York on the 6th of 
November and after a few days' rest once more left 
Liverpool for the land of the Hindus. After a 
pleasant voyage we landed in Bombay on the morning 
of December 20th and I went direct to Delhi 
where I spent some days of quiet rest, then I went to 
Moradabad to spend Christmas arriving there on 
Christmas eve in time to join a dinner party of 
twenty-four at Mrs. Parker's, including my old friends, 
Dr. and Mrs. Waugh, and several Americans who 
arrived in the country before we did. 

On the twenty-seventh we all came to Bareilly, 
dear old Bareilly ! where so many years of my life 
were spent. Great changes have taken place here. 
I see new faces instead of old friends. The trees 
which I planted have become immense, especially 
those which belong to the banyan family. The 
mango grove which we planted twenty-two years ago 
is now in its glory and the fruit must bring a good 
income for the dispensary. There are marks of im- 
provement everywhere. The farming country is bet- 

[341] 



A Glimpse of India 

ter watered and some of the fields give promise of a 
bountiful harvest. 

The private secretary of the late Rajah met me in 
Delhi ; he was among the first to welcome me back to 
India. He is planning for me to see the dear little 
prince and his sisters if they can come to Jeypore. I 
cannot go to their homes as they are so far from the 
railroad. 

Bareilly, Jan. <?, tpo?. 

My dear Mrs. H : 

You asked me to write you a full account of 
the Jubilee and I will endeavor to do so from the 
" notes " that I have taken. 

Early in December about fifty visitors from America 
arrived in India to be present at the Jubilee, among 
them Bishop Fitzgerald and family, Bishop and Mrs. 
Foss, Dr. Leonard, Mrs. E. B. Stevens and daughter, 
and Bishops Thoburn and Oldham, and, to the joy of 
all, Mrs. William Butler with her son and daughter. 

Many of the visitors tarried on the way up-country 
to attend the Southern Conferences but were on hand 
at the appointed time to participate in the opening ex- 
ercises of the Jubilee which took place December 
28th and continued over New Year's Day, 1907. It 
was fitting that the Jubilee should be held in Bareilly, 
that being Dr. Butler's first home. 
[ 342] 



Return to India 

Eight tents had been so arranged that a commodious 
auditorium was ready to seat the assembly which some 
days numbered thirty-five hundred people including 
European and Indian Christians. After the opening 
hymn Bishop Thoburn prayed in Hindustani and the 
whole congregation joined in the Lord's Prayer in 
their several languages. 

Bishop Warne gave words of welcome from the en- 
tire Methodist Mission and introduced the Nawab of 
Bareilly who read a fine address of welcome on behalf 
of the Municipality. Then occurred the introduction 
of the bishops and others by the older members of the 
mission with appropriate words of welcome. Mrs. 
Parker, who with Mrs. Butler organized the Woman's 
Foreign Missionary Society in America thirty-nine 
years ago, introduced Mrs. Butler to the audience, and 
Bishop Thoburn presented Dr. John Butler of Mexico, 
and Miss Clementina Butler of Massachusetts. 

A reception was held in the evening in the Bareilly 
palace of the Nawab of Rampore who had placed it at 
the disposal of the committee for the occasion, and a 
large company of Christians — European, Indian, 
Burmese and those from Malaysia and the Philippines 
spent a delightful evening in getting acquainted with 
each other and in conversation and listening to fine 
music. 

The devotional meeting Saturday morning was 
[ 343] 



A Glimpse of India 

largely attended and in the forenoon there was an 
English service in the church and the Indian Chris- 
tians held a service among themselves in the tabernacle. 

Bishop Foss, in the English service, held his audi- 
ence in closest attention, giving a most inspiring ad- 
dress. He referred to his previous visit to India, say- 
ing, " Nine years ago I visited Naini Tal and looked 
out upon fifty-three peaks of the Himalaya Mountains, 
a beautiful and wonderful sight, but it was not to be 
compared to what we are seeing at this Jubilee." 

Fanny Crosby had written a hymn specially for the 
Jubilee which was sung with much enthusiasm and 
then followed an incident of great interest. Dr. T. 
S. Johnson, who was presiding, asked that the mem- 
bers of the First Conference in India come forward 
and six veterans stepped forward, among them Bishop 
Thoburn. 

A reminiscence meeting was held after dinner Sat- 
urday evening and early experiences of the missionaries 
excited much interest. 

Sunday was preeminently a Sabbath Day. At eight- 
thirty in the morning occurred the love-feast with 
about twenty-five hundred people, chiefly natives, 
seated in the auditorium. A few of the Europeans 
began to give their testimony, the native Christians 
following in rapid succession, sometimes half a dozen 
or more in different parts of the audience speaking at 
[344] 



Return to India 

once, telling with beaming faces of what God had 
done for them. Those who were present on that 
Sunday morning can never forget the inspiration of 
that hour. 

When Mrs. Butler arose to speak " Caroline 
Mamma," a dear old Hindustani saint, pressed for- 
ward and embraced her, and then another aged woman, 
who was one of the first girls received into the Bareilly 
Orphanage, and the only one of that group now liv- 
ing, was called forward. She has been a faithful Bible 
woman for over thirty years, and she gave a glowing 
testimony to God's faithfulness. 

The descendants of Joel Janvier, Dr. Butler's first 
helper, were introduced, and there were twelve native 
men present, who saw Dr. Butler when he came to 
India fifty years ago, who were presented to the au- 
dience. Such a love-feast was never before seen and 
many remarked, " I never saw anything to equal this ! " 

Bishop Fitzgerald preached the Jubilee sermon at 
the noon service, Nathaniel Jordan interpreting. 
The text was Hebrews 11:5," Enoch pleased God," 
and the discourse was an earnest and inspiring one. 
At the five o'clock service Dr. Goucher and Bishops 
Thoburn and Oldham spoke on " Facing the Future," 
giving many inspiring thoughts. The after-dinner 
social meeting was a fitting close to the holy day. 
Miss Butler read some extracts from her father's early 

[ 345 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

letters, in one of which he mentioned his church of 
four members. The hopeful tone of these letters 
thrilled many hearts as we realized the fulfillment of 
his hopes. A deeply spiritual tone characterized the 
meeting, the presence of the Master being most man- 
ifest, His Spirit brooding over the assembly. 

Monday was given to the introduction of the fra- 
ternal delegates with speeches from them and other 
visitors. Wesleyan Methodism, the Church of Eng- 
land, the American Society of Friends, the Baptist 
Churches, the Presbyterian Churches of America and 
Canada and the American Board of Foreign Missions 
were all represented by delegates, and their visitors 
from China, Japan, Italy, Australia and the Philip- 
pines. Dr. Creegan, secretary of the American 
Board, who is on a missionary tour, made the happy 
remark, " Ours (the A. B. F. M.) is the oldest mis- 
sionary society in America. I bring the greetings of 
the oldest to the greatest missionary Board." 

Many letters and telegrams from bishops, mission- 
aries and friends who could not be present were re- 
ceived. 

A solemn watch-night service — a benediction of 
consecration and power — closed the day and year. 

The first meeting of the new year was an inspiring 
one. It was an " educational meeting " in more 
senses than one. The shout went up, " Masih ki 

[346] 



Return to India 

Jai " — " Victory to Jesus " as the audience realized the 
full meaning of what they saw and heard. There was 
a school of heathen boys taught by a Christian teacher, 
and a village school of Christian boys, both reciting 
Christian truths, but contrasting in personal appear- 
ance, the latter showing the influence of Christian 
family life. 

Mrs. Dease brought what she called her " Entering 
Wedge," over two hundred girls from the city schools, 
girls of different castes, some married, some widows, 
all quite ready with their answers to Bible questions. 
Fifty of Mrs. Chew's little Orphanage girls gave a 
doll's drill, and sang " Sleep, baby, sleep " very 
sweetly. Then came a breeze from the Himalayas. 
Some of Miss Budden's Christian people had walked 
ninety miles through the mountains to the nearest rail- 
way station — a march of nine days. They sang one 
of their songs, led by a blind youth. Dr. Sheldon's 
converted Thibetan boy recited a verse of Scripture 
in his own language and sang a hymn with her, and a 
Nepalese boy recited in his mother tongue. 

Other phases of this educational work were : A 
class of young women nurses from the Bareilly Hos- 
pital ; the exhibition of specimens of industrial work 
— beds, chairs, woven wire mattresses — made by the 
boys in the Shahjahanpore Orphanage ; and fine rugs, 
brass and woodwork from the Phalera Industrial Mis- 
[347] 



A Glimpse of India 

sion which was organized during the famine of 
1898. 

Mrs. Matthews' girls and women from the Aligarh 
Widows' Home wore clothes made from cloth of their 
own weaving. They work in the fields, raise grain 
and vegetables, make bread for the English residents, 
and have more orders for their beautiful pillow lace 
than they can supply. Under Mrs. Matthews' super- 
vision forty of her well-trained girls did the cooking 
for the three hundred and fifty guests and mission- 
aries, making all the bread used, and also serving the 
tables. 

A paper on u Commercial Education " was read by 
one of the Reid Christian College students, and there 
were songs and recitations by some of the young 
women of the Isabella Thoburn College. Professor 
J. R. Chitamber, son of a converted Brahman, gave a 
fine address on " What Christian Education has Done 
for Me." The Rev. Ganga Nath of the Lucknow 
Mission Press spoke briefly of the work of the Press. 
He is also of Brahman birth, and as a boy used to 
light the fires on the altar of heathen temples ; now he 
is sending the light of the Gospel into heathen homes. 

The Epworth League Rally on Tuesday afternoon, 
with its vast procession and various banners, was most 
inspiring. A prayer in Canarese was followed by a 
Psalm in Hindustani recited in concert ; hymns were 

[348] 



Re tier n to India 

sung in various languages, and some fine papers by 
missionaries were read, the services closing with the 
Recessional sung by the students of the Isabella Tho- 
burn College. 

The closing exercises of the Jubilee on Tuesday 
evening, January 1st, were full of interest and were 
participated in by quite a number of the visitors. The 
large congregation of people from different countries 
and of different races sang the Doxology with reverent 
spirit and the Benediction was pronounced in Hindu- 
stani by Bishop Thoburn. 

Only one tent is standing on the grounds this 
morning. Many of the visitors have left, some to re- 
turn to America, others to visit other of our Eastern 
mission fields. 

An interesting incident occurred at one of the even- 
ing services. Five hundred and twenty-three converts 
from heathenism were presented for baptism and rec- 
ognition as Christians. Special prayer was asked for 
these candidates, who had been previously instructed 
by Christian pastors. Bishop Thoburn prayed, and 
then occurred the ceremony of cutting off the sacred 
lock of hair, and the ritual service was read and ex- 
plained. The cutting off of the chutia or sacred lock 
of hair from the crown of the head signifies the separa- 
tion from idolatry. One native presiding elder 
brought over three hundred candidates for baptism and 
[349] 



A Glimpse of India 

said many more would have come if he could have ar- 
ranged for them. 

Two or three hundred Hindus were close observers 
of this ceremony and one remarked, " All the people 
will become Christians soon ! " 

Bareilly, 'Jan. p, ipo?. 

. . . In my Jubilee letter I did not say much 
about the women who were present, but the Woman's 
Foreign Missionary Society was by no means in the 
background. I mentioned that Mrs. Butler, wife of the 
founder of the mission, and herself the first woman 
missionary of our Church to tell the women and chil- 
dren of India of a loving Saviour, despite her eighty- 
six years, had dared to undertake the long journey 
from America that she might see and rejoice in the 
wonderful work of God in this land. 

When she appeared on the platform she needed no 
introduction. The native Christians voiced their de- 
light in her presence by singing heartily, " Glory, 
glory, hallelujah ! " as she took her seat. Bishop 
Foss spoke eloquently of the Woman's Foreign Mis- 
sionary Society which is doing so much for the women 
of all lands, and gave Mrs. Butler credit for her part 
in the work in the Society. 

Mrs. Foss made a very pleasing speech, saying that 
the Society in America had sent her to India to give 
[350] 



Return to India 

the greetings of that great organization. She spoke 
of its unparalleled success, and encouraged the workers 
and the Christians by telling of the continued prayers 
of the women of America for God's blessing on those 
who love Him, and for the Spirit's converting power 
on the hearts of those who are yet far from Him. She 
said, " I had no conception of the extent of the work 
here. It overwhelms me." Referring to the small 
beginnings of 1869 and the two missionaries sent out 
that year, she contrasted it with the present when the 
Society supports five hundred missionaries, and owns 
over a million dollars' worth of property in foreign 
lands. As Mrs. Foss took her seat Bishop Warne re- 
marked that the Woman's Foreign Missionary Society 
sent more money to India than did the General 
Board. 

It was a pleasure to have Mrs. Stevens and her 
daughter with us. Mrs. Stevens has been president 
of the Baltimore Branch of the Society for thirty years 
and has a deep interest in all the work. Mrs. Fitz- 
gerald, Mrs. Warne and Mrs. Oldham all had words 
of cheer for both workers and converts. 

I am sure you would have been interested in the 
papers given by some of the mission ladies. Miss 
Lilavati Singh read a paper on " The Future of 
Education for Indian Women," showing what had 
been accomplished in fifty years, beginning with the 

[351 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

few little girls, children of the mission servants, 
gathered into a school on the veranda of the mission 
house, with now a school system for the education of 
girls all over the Empire. "The Methodist Mission 
has a thousand schools with, at the best computation, 
ten thousand girls in attendance, and other missions, 
too, count their girl pupils by thousands, and a large 
per cent, of the girls are Christians," she said. She 
showed the capability of the females of India in the 
fact that in the B. A. and F. A. examinations the last 
year girls held the first place, and she told of the in- 
fluence of Christianity on Hindu and Mohammedan 
women who are becoming morally and socially 
emancipated from the bondage of their former lives. 

Miss Budden who has had large experience in 
evangelistic work emphasized the need of consecrated 
Bible women to carry the message of salvation to the 
women of the towns and villages, and wished that we 
might have many more women trained for this special 
work. 

Dr. Edna Beck of Phalera gave an account of 
the medical work, and showed how beautifully 
the medical and evangelistic work supplement one 
another. 

Miss Blair's practical paper on " Literature for the 
Women of India " gave food for thought. While 
editor of the Woman' 's Friend in Bengali she began to 
[352] 



Return to India 

realize the need for pure literature which will be 
both interesting and profitable to the increasing num- 
ber of readers among Christian and non-Christian 
women. 

A paper on zanana work by Miss Nichols of Bom- 
bay was most interesting. The facts and incidents 
which she narrated stirred our hearts. Many, many 
are the women who, in their hearts, believe that the 
religion of Christ is to them salvation. 

One of the most effective agencies in our work is 
the school work and Miss Anna Lawson's paper on 
boarding-schools gave a review of the schools of our 
mission from the first established by Mrs. Parker with 
two pupils to the last one that came into existence. 
All our conferences carry on this form of work and 
many trained workers have gone out from the 
schools as wives of pastors and teachers and are em- 
ployed as Bible women, some of them giving 
nearly their whole time to village schools and evan- 
gelistic work. 

The Jubilee meetings were too immense in numbers 
and matter to be wholly enjoyable. We could not 
appreciate and digest so many good things in so short 
a time, but all, I am sure, carried away pleasant 
memories of the occasion, with a thanksgiving in 
their hearts that so many of the people of India are 
being brought into Christ's kingdom. 
[353] 



A Glimpse of India 

Ajmere^ Jan. 28, 1907. 
My dear Dr. Slade : 

I was glad to be able to attend the Northwest 
India Conference at Muttra. It closed on the 
twentieth and I have been here a week. A letter of 
welcome and an invitation from the little Prince of 
Khetri and his sisters to visit them here brought me 
home with one of our missionaries who has the charge 
of a mission boarding-school for girls. 

The young Rajah called on me on Thursday. He 
is a fine lad of fourteen, tall and manly. He wore 
an English riding suit and a handsome turban. He 
greeted me very cordially, and said he did not remem- 
ber me but he had my photograph with a baby in my 
arms which he had been told was himself. We sat 
down together on the sofa and I asked him if I might 
drop his title and call him by his name, Jai Singh, as 
it made my boy seem so far away to address him as 
Rajah Sahib. He seemed quite pleased at this re- 
quest. 

I talked to him of his childhood and told him some 
sweet little things about himself and some stories of 
interest about his mother. He read a page of English 
for me and I find that he speaks English very well. 
He will graduate from the high school in two years 
more. His guardian, who was with him, is a B. A. 
He told me that the prince is good and noble and that 
[354] 




The Young Rajah of Khetvl, Fifteen Years Old. 



Return to India 

they hoped to keep him so, for in four years he will 
take his father's place. 

The prince is under very strict orders ; he is not 
allowed to go outside the college grounds without per- 
mission, and then his guardian and an escort accom- 
pany him. His guardian seems a good man ; he is a 
Brahman of the purest type. He called yesterday to 
say that the prince was unable to pay his respects to 
me before going to Khetri where the ceremony of 
putting on the sacred thread will take place. 

The two princesses came on Saturday and spent the 
day with me before going to Khetri. They urged me 
to go with them but I declined as I knew how tire- 
some the journey would be for me and as the Rajah 
and Rani had both passed away I had no desire to go. 
They will return in ten days and expect to spend 
some time in Ajmere. I am very much pleased with 
them both. The older one is a fine, handsome 
woman — much like her mother, so queenly in her 
manner and general appearance. The younger Bai 
is rather delicate. They both keep up their reading 
and the elder Bai continues her music and paint- 
ing. The brother and sisters are very fond of each 
other. 

I have one of my Khetri servants with me ; the 
prince has given him permission to serve me as long 
as I remain in India. This is quite a comfort for I 
[355] 



A Glimpse of India 

need him especially when I travel for there are so 
many little things to attend to. 

This mission compound is a very busy place. Many 
of the schoolgirls recite their lessons out under the 
trees where it is warmer than indoors, so there is noise 
on all sides of the house. 

I am so pleased to see the improvement in all our 
mission stations. There are larger communities of 
Christians, better schools and church buildings and a 
greater number of children in the day and boarding- 
schools. In some of the villages numbers of men and 
women are under instruction. Ten years has made a 
very perceptible change in our mission work. 

The great famines in this part of India have brought 
thousands of children into our mission stations, and it 
is a pleasure to see them well clothed and fed and being 
taught to lead useful lives. 

What a wonderful time we are living in — the 
more we see and study the workings of Providence 
among the nations the clearer we see how they are 
being led to recognize their Creator. I trust the 
prophecy will soon be fulfilled when all nations shall 
acknowledge Him as the Ruler of the world. 

Ajmere is a pretty place surrounded with rocky 
hills from eight to fifteen hundred feet high. There 
is a lake at the base of one of the highest hills and a 
public garden on the opposite side with several marble 

[356] 



Return to India 

pavilions which look quite enchanting with the water 
for background and the green lawn in front shaded by 
wide-spreading trees. The monotony of the sandy 
plains of Rajputana is broken by hills in many places. 

Bombay, Nov. j, ipof. 
. . I very much enjoyed the Dasehra meet- 
ings in Lucknow last month. These have been held 
annually for the last twenty-five years during the three 
days of Dasehra, a Hindu festival, which is recognized 
by the government and gazetted as " Legal Holi- 
days." 

Missionaries from all parts of India and from Cey- 
lon are invited to participate in these meetings and 
many avail themselves of the opportunity to spend a 
few days in Christian fellowship and service. This 
year a great many Indian Christians were present, 
among them some fine preachers from the Presby- 
terian Mission in Lahore. 

Three services were held at the same hour every 
morning : one in English for Christian workers, one 
in the Hindustani Church, and one for the young 
people of the Epworth League and Christian En- 
deavor Societies. They were all so interesting that 
it was difficult to decide which to attend. At four 
o'clock each day there was a service for all who could 
attend, and also a service every evening. 
[357] 



A Glimpse of India 

November 18th. 

The eldest Khetri princess, Bai Sahiba of Shah- 
pura, had intended to take a house in Ajmere for the 
winter where I could be near her and her brother and 
sister, but her husband changed his plans and I came 
with her to Bombay where we have been for nearly 
three weeks. They rented a furnished house for 
themselves and arranged for me at Watson's Hotel, 
which is three miles from the Bai Sahiba's house. I 
drove over there every morning after breakfast and 
remained with her until after four o'clock tea, but the 
long drive through the crowded streets was rather 
tiresome to me and I was very glad when I found 
that I could be received as a boarder in the Alliance 
Mission Home which is much nearer to the home of 
the Bai Sahiba. 

We have just finished reading together the " Life 
of Christ," a small book in Romanized Urdu written 
for Sunday-schools, reading with it the corresponding 
accounts in the Gospels. To-day she was not satis- 
fied until she had read from Matthew i: 18 to the 
end of the fifth chapter. Like her mother Bai Sahiba 
is in sympathy with everything that is good. 

I am greatly pleased with the Christlike spirit of 
the inmates of this Home. A Christian Parsi gentle- 
man, whose wife is just now in England, is boarding 
here at present. He became a Christian thirty years 

[358] 



Return to India 

ago and has spent most of his time in preaching in 
the streets of Bombay and doing other Christian serv- 
ice as the way opens. 

The Methodist Mission is in quite another part of 
this great city, quite a distance from here. 

I am planning to visit Pandita Ramabai soon. 
There has been a special outpouring of the Holy 
Spirit on the girls of her Orphanage recently. The 
Pandita has written an account of it. Some of the 
girls have received " the gift of tongues " and Rama- 
bai believes that these " tongues " are given for a sign 
to unbelievers among her people that they may see 
and hear of God's wonderful works and repent of 
their hardness of heart. 

Some of the girls give God's message very clearly 
and they sing hymns and praise God in " other 
tongues" as well as in their own language. 

Telgaon, Poona District, *Jan. j, rpo8. 

My dear Miss P : 

I am just now out in the country, about one 
hundred miles south of Bombay, where the South In- 
dia Conference has a boarding-school for girls. Miss 
Lawson, who is the missionary in charge of the school, 
invited me to spend Christmas with her and I have 
quite enjoyed coming to this place which is beautiful 
for situation and has a delightful climate. 
[359] 



A Glimpse of India 

Pandita Ramabai's village is at Khedgaon, forty-five 
miles from here. Miss Lawson and I went there last 
Saturday and I remained until Tuesday afternoon. 
From what you have heard of this blessed woman you 
can imagine the royal welcome that we received, just 
such as a true member of our Father's family knows 
how to give. 

There are at present about fourteen hundred people 
sheltered, fed, clothed and controlled through the faith 
and perfect trust of this one woman brought out of 
heathenism and yielded to God, soul and body, seek- 
ing to know His will and then careful to do it. 

Ramabai was converted in 1883 and was baptized 
in the Church of England. She said, " I had gone to 
England to study and fit myself for my life-work, but 
it was several years before I found in Christ that 
which satisfied my soul." 

During the famine of 1897 sne was ^ to °P en tne 
work which has been so blessed of God. She savs, 
" I was led by the Lord to step forward and start this 
work, trusting Him for both temporal and spiritual 
blessings. I can testify with all my heart that I have 
found Him faithful." 

While in America some friends who were interested 
in the welfare of the women of India promised to help 
Ramabai in her plan for work among the widows of 
her country and on her return to India she opened 

[ 360] 



Return to India 

her Home for Widows in Bombay. The work in 
the beginning was purely educational, Ramabai having 
resolved that religious liberty should be given to the 
inmates of the Home, but, although no direct religious 
instruction was given, she daily read the Bible aloud 
and prayed to the only true God in the name of Jesus 
Christ, hoping that the women seeing and hearing 
what was going on might be led to inquire about the 
true religion and the way of salvation. 

After a time the Home was removed to Poona, and, 
when more room was needed, it was again removed 
to the place it now occupies. The village is called 
Mukti which means Salvation. This has been the 
crowning visit of my stay in India. I thought the 
Jubilee gathering wonderful, and the Dasehra meet- 
ings were glorious, and I enjoyed them all, but noth- 
ing that I have seen appeals to me as does this work 
of Pundita Ramabai. 

There is a large church building in which the 
whole community can be seated together on the floor. 
There are no chairs or benches except for guests and 
for the minister. We attended the Sunday morning 
service which was indeed inspiring. The congrega- 
tion were in their simple Sunday garments, clean and 
fresh, their faces shining from the inward peace of 
their souls. All were seated on the floor in rows as 
the five thousand were seated on the ground when Je- 

[ 361 ] 



A Glimpse of India 

sus fed the multitude. I was reminded of that com- 
pany as I looked upon this congregation who were 
truly fed in this service with heavenly manna. 

Miss Abrams, Ramabai's competent helper, con- 
ducted the service and called on one of the women to 
pray. She had prayed, perhaps, three minutes when a 
mighty spirit of prayer and praise came upon the 
whole congregation. As they all prayed aloud the 
sound was like a rushing stream of many waters. 
Some were powerfully shaken and, I suppose, spoke 
in tongues, but I could not distinguish as I do not 
know their language. 

This continued for some minutes then they began 
to sing and all became quiet as Miss Abrams arose to 
give out her text. She preached, I was told, an ex- 
cellent sermon in Marathi, the language of the people 
in that part of the country. 

This exhibition of the power of the Spirit seemed 
marvellous to me though I was somewhat prepared 
for it from what I had heard and from seeing some- 
thing similar to it among the missionaries in Bombay. 
God is pouring out His Spirit and stirring the hearts 
of the people all over India. 

On Monday I visited the different departments of 
the institution. There is a weaving establishment 
where about five hundred of the girls are employed. 
The yarn is purchased in Bombay and the girls color 

[362] 



Return to India 

it and prepare it for weaving, and the saris worn by 
the women and girls of Mukti are woven by their 
hands. As this is the Christmas vacation the sewing 
class was not going on as usual though all have a few 
hours of work daily. Miss Bacon, the sewing-room 
teacher, showed me some of the work that is being 
done. There were collars and handkerchiefs in drawn 
work, tea-cloths and tray-cloths, embroidered table- 
covers and many other kinds of work. The frocks 
for the little girls are made by the older ones. 

Both boys and girls are employed in the printing 
establishment. There is a hospital and dispensary, 
both under excellent management, and the several 
kitchens keep many hands busy. I noticed in the 
grinding room that the wheat is ground by steam- 
power instead of in the old way, between two 
stones. 

The houses are built in dormitory style, each con- 
taining a number of rooms or compartments. Those 
for visitors are simply furnished with a cot, a table, 
two chairs, and a cotton mat or dari beside the bed. 
A curtain shuts off the bath room attached to each 
sleeping-room. 

The church is a large building built of stone with 
board floors ; the roof is of tiles ceiled with corrugated 
iron held by wooden braces and brackets. The walls 
are the same outside and inside, chipped stone, with- 

[363] 



A Glimpse of India 

out plaster or whitewash. During the week it is used 
for school purposes. 

Ramabai sends out many of the widows who have 
been educated by her to become Bible women or 
teachers in other schools. Recently she sent out 
seventy trained women to preach in a town where 
pilgrims come by thousands to bathe in the river and 
wash away their sins. The women live in the town 
and go out every day among the people to preach and 
teach and to visit them in their homes. 

At a short distance from the Mukti establishment 
is the Farm Colony where about forty families are lo- 
cated. The wives of these farmers are women who 
have been educated and trained at Mukti. Ramabai 
says she likes to keep her women near her for the 
first year or two of their married life so that she can 
give them counsel and advice when needed. 

The fields need great care as water is not plentiful. 
Grain and vegetables are raised but not in sufficient 
quantity to supply so large a family, and they are 
obliged to depend on the weekly market day for what- 
ever else is needed. 

It is delightful to see the cheerful, happy spirit 
which reigns in all the departments of this wonderful 
work. It is truly a model establishment. 

An American gentleman and his wife who were 
making a tour of the world visited Mukti, and he said, 

[364] 



Return to India 

after going over the whole place, " I have seen the 
c sights ' of India, the wonderful mountain peaks of 
the Himalayas, the exquisite Taj Mahal, and many 
other grand and beautiful things, but Mukti surpasses 
them all. Mukti is the crowning wonder of all." 

Bombay, *Jan. <?, lpo8. 

Once more in Bombay ; where I expect to remain 
until I sail for home in March. 

These are wonderful days all over the world. This 
morning a Mr. Morehead from Southern India who is 
a guest in the Home conducted prayers. Before going 
to prayer he read extracts from letters which he had 
received from workers in different countries all breath- 
ing the same spirit and expressing the desire for the 
fullness of the Holy Spirit. 

We have most interesting seasons of prayer and 
Bible teaching, and manifestations of God's presence 
with us in every morning service. 

Many of my friends, as you know, thought that I 
was assuming a risk in undertaking the long journey 
to India at this time, but I am glad that I came, for 
the meeting with old friends among the missionaries 
and native Christians and others has given me great 
pleasure, and it has been most gratifying to see, not 
only the material improvement but the spiritual growth 
in the mission in the past ten years. 

[365] 



A Glimpse of India 

One of the most encouraging marks of growth is 
the spirit of those who have accepted Christ and are 
now working earnestly for the salvation of others : 
the growing independence of the native church, too, 
is a matter of interest. 

The quiet rest of this Christian Home has been to 
me a season of Christian communion and spiritual up- 
lift, so that I feel stronger for my home journey be- 
cause of my stay in this " Saints' Rest." 



[366] 






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